Legend
by xxBlue-sapphirexx
Summary: 500 years after the game a new zidane and dagger meet and set out to find the truth behind the legend while dealing with the hassels of normal teenage life. Keep an eye out for the re-write
1. 500yrs have past

Bear in mind I'm not to good at this.

* * *

Legend

Summary

Five hundred years after the reign of Queen and King, Garnet and Zidane of Alexandria the story is just a legend. Eidolons and Terra are said to be myths and the story of thief and princess is forgotten. Zidane was said to be a nobleman without royal birth. The journey and threat to the world is long forgotten.

In present day the world has changed. Technology has spread and people live in places their ancestors would never have dreamed possible. All that remains of Zidane and Garnet are the castle, their graves, descendants and their names. Schools are throughout Gaia and half the population have tails. Lindblum high school greets a girl named Dagger and a boy named Zidane. What happens when they meet, both believing there is a large part of 'The Legend' that is missing, having a history project to complete before the end of the school year, and being hormonal teenagers...

So this story starts...

Lindblum's streets were busy with school children on their way to the first dismal day of the school year. A girl named Dagger walked up the stone steps leading to the main entrance doors as the wind blew her hair off her shoulders behind her. It was her first day at this school she had just moved from Alexandria.

The bell rang a warning to the surrounding students as she opened the doors and entered. '_619_' her locker number resounding in her head... '_Now all I have to do is find it_._ Easier thought than done_' she thought as her feet walked the corridors. '_09,110,209,353,563,590,600,619. I'm here._'

The halls were swarming now. As she opened her locker a boy with a tail came and opened the locker next to hers, 620. As he put the book he was carrying into his locker the title caught her eye and she gasped. This caught his attention and he turned to her "Do you believe in the legend?" Now that he was facing her she got a better view of him, and he her. She was lost for words and barely nodded. He smiled at her; he could tell there was shyness about her. His smile made Dagger feel a little light-headed. "I've never seen you around before and I would remember a pretty...beautiful girl, ya know." He continued, seeing her embarrassment he added, "maybe that's why I can't remember anybody's name" she laughed. "My name's Zidane" She shut her locker and laughed again as she heard his name, she replied "Dagger, pleased to meet you"

Zidane grinned when he heard her name "Interesting...Who's your form tutor?"

"Mrs Bat...Why are you laughing?" She asked fearful of him laughing at her.

"People call her Batty now, it's a long story involving a particle joke I played on her last year. I wonder if she remembers me. Anyway I'm guessing you don't know your way around, so why don't I show you to form room and I can introduce you to my friends?"

"Sure" Dagger hadn't expected to make friends so quickly, she smiled at him. He was very good-looking with his blond hair and blue/green eyes. He looked very much like the king he had adopted the name of in her opinion. The bell rang. Zidane who had been lost looking at the girl in front of him snapped back to reality and took her arm gently leading her through the halls till they came to a door with a glass window. A large group of people were waving at Zidane; he smiled and walked over to the Batty's desk pulling Dagger along behind him. "Why you! I'm keeping my eye on you this year Mr Ryan! And who's this another victim of yours?"

"No! This is my friend, Dagger. And it's nice of you to remember me, Mrs Batty!" Zidane pushed the girl behind him gently towards the desk and went to talk to his friends.

"So are you new to the school or the class?"

"New to the school, miss." Mrs Bat went to add her to the register then asked "Your second name dear?" Dagger stuttered her answer "Gilla"

She turned to the class to see Zidane waving her over to the only spare seat in the class, somehow she got the feeling fate was throwing them together. Lockers next to each other, seats in form next to each other what was next? Maybe it was a mixture of coincidence and her imagination.

* * *

I'm not sure whether to continue this really, although the rest of the story is better than the first part, way better. But it bores me typing it up and I don't know if I really can be bothered. It depends on the reaction to it I guess.

Oh and I don't own ff9 or anything related to it, just this story. (thanks to Tacofoolio)


	2. Lindblum High

I figured out that if I type really fast all the writing on paper would be in word and then I can write straight onto the computer. Makes sense doesn't it? It was the obvious thing to do, but I have no common sense.

Well, 'ere you go.

* * *

_She turned to the class to see Zidane waving her over to the only spare seat in the class, somehow she got the feeling fate was throwing them together. Lockers next to each other, seats in form next to each other, what was next? Maybe it was a mixture of coincidence and her imagination._

Lindblum High.

She sat down rather hesitantly next to the window.

"Guess you'll be sitting next to me all year, huh? I just hope I don't get forced to sit on my own at the teacher's desk again. I always have to sit on my own. I swear teacher's have it in for me."

Dagger opened her mouth to say something when a voice from the crowd said, "feel sorry for you! Non-stop chatter about that stupid myth. I'm surprised he hasn't gotten bored of it, but there's still hope."

"It's not a myth!" Zidane cried in defence, "Oh by the way this is Emma, Martin, Sam, Rose, Jess, Alex and Amillia." He pointed to the faces in the crowd as each name was said. He had just finished when the bell rang, there was not one person in the room who didn't jump and if they were standing run to their places.

Mrs Bat began the register; whispered conversations could be heard by all but the teacher who was a little bit death. Immediately as the last syllable of the last name was said the noise level grew louder.

"Errm... I've never met another person who believed in the myth, well at least not our age...I was beginning to think I was the only one." Dagger said hesitantly.

"Me neither. There was this one kid, a few years younger but he moved to Alexandria in the middle of the last school year. None of my friends believe in it, especially Emma. Though she's right it does get boring learning what you already know from exactly the same point of view all the time...if that makes sense. I want to find out the truth behind the whole thing, it's frustrating really. Learning the unknown has always been interesting." He grew quiet and there was an awkward silence. Dagger began to feel very self-conscious and felt as if she wasn't allowed to move for fear of making a noise.

"What have you got today?" Zidane suddenly asked.

"Err...Science, History and math. Although I'm pretty sure it's not in that order."

"Can you remember the teachers?" Dagger shook her head and groaned.

"No, and my timetable is back in my locker." She groaned again. Zidane held out his hand and asked for her key. Then he was off out into the corridors leaving her with a handful of names with absolutely no idea which face they belonged to.

He was back within minutes with her diary. "So you've got science with me, and history." Zidane said sitting down, "And math with Jess and Rose. And then lunch-!"

"Can I have quiet to read the messages!" The class watched as the teacher tried and failed to read the written messages on the cards she receives every registration. She really was approaching old age, which she partly blamed on Zidane.

Eventually the bell rang; Zidane took her up many flights of stairs around a corner into the science area. He then led her past a number of doors to the very last one at the end. (That's always the way, isn't it?)

After a very long introduction to the teacher they took their seats to the left side of the board and not as far back as they would like but the class was filling up fast. He told her about the teacher and the class, failing to notice her lack of optimism. The bell rang again and the lesson slowly began, and kept at that pace the entire lesson.

Mr Greenman stood up and began talking about long extinct animals and evolution in an extremely thick foreign accent. (Think Conde pettie, or something)

Daggers mind wandered and she once again like many times before began to sort out what she believed about the legend and what she thought was absolutely impossible. This in turn wandered to how afraid she was leaving Alexandria and starting a new school in Lindblum, the city that had the latest technology and a maze of streets. '_And a maze of school corridors"_ she mentally added to herself. She laughed to herself at how she had absolutely dreaded this day and how much she was already enjoying it, well apart from this lesson that is.

A shout from Zidane brought her sharply to reality. The class was laughing, Greenman stood fuming, his face was turning purple with rage, he was snarling dangerously like a vicious Rockweiler, and then in an amazingly calm almost cheery voice he said, "That is quite enough, Mr Ryan! There is not one sensible person in this room, it is appalling" (These lines stolen from my most hated teacher at school) He was off absorbed into one of his rants Zidane had told Dagger about. Luckily the bell rang and the class up and left without even being told to get the hell out of the teacher's site.

Five minutes later in history.

"This year you are going to do a project on any historical event, it is your choice. You will present your project in front of your entire year as all year elevens have done before you. The best presentation will then be presented in front of the whole school! Now to complete this task you have a set time depending on how great a task you have chosen. Some may have a month others five; we are even willing to give you a year if you can prove you need it. But your presentation must include all subjects where possible. The headmaster has given me permission to let a maximum of five groups to go out into the world. You will only be allowed out if you have planned your project from start to finish in great detail. And only those who can be trusted." The teacher glanced at Zidane and continued. "Well I guess I have confused you all with all these rules, so lets just say if you want permission to do something then just ask and we will see if it is possible. Now, this project will be conducted in pairs or threes. You have five minutes to get into groups before I put you into groups and figure out what historical event or events you would like to do."

The class stared at her stunned until Zidane said "Sure throw that at us as soon as we enter the room". Everyone snapped to attention and began franticly finding their groups not wanting to be forced into one.

Zidane immediately turned to Dagger and said, "So what should we do?" with a knowing grin on his face.

"The versions of The Legend?" Dagger replied with a grin of her own. "Why not do something we both enjoy?"

The teacher then passed around the plan, explained it then dismissed them with "I will record what you are doing next lesson, as for the rest of the lesson you are dismissed. You may go to the library, the computer rooms or study hall to start planning your project" She turned her back to them to finish marking some year ten coursework as the class ran for the door eager to be free. Zidane led Dagger through the corridors to the far side of the ground floor, the library. It was rather big for a school in a city reigned by technology, but nowhere near as big as Daguerro's (sp?) was supposed to be. They made their way over to a table in a corner, Zidane on passing the librarians empty desk picked up a large empty notepad from the middle of a pile. (An. I'm not sure if librarians usually have notepads on the desk but my one used to have stacks of them, I wouldn't know if they're still there, haven't been to the library in years)

A solitary computer sat near the corner, which Zidane immediately sat at, Dagger was left to search through the books to find the different versions of the myth.

After a while though Zidane joined her saying "I think we should stick to textbooks this site says Zidane was an oglop."

* * *

I'm sorry it took me so long! I forgot I was going on holiday, and just my luck Cornwall flooded while I was there, the dog like it though. I might get the next chapter up with this one or I might not. I don't own ff9 (thanks again to Tacofoolio)


	3. Plans and Math tutoring

_A solitary computer sat near the corner, which Zidane immediately sat at, Dagger was left to search through the books to find the different versions of the myth._

_After a while though Zidane joined her saying "I think we should stick to textbooks this site says Zidane was an oglop."_

Plans and Maths Tutoring 

Zidane glanced round the table; it was littered with books, old and new. "I've come to the conclusion that this project is gonna give me a headache. This is going to take so much work, but if there is even the slightest chance of discovering the truth…" He trailed off.

Dagger nodded in vague agreement "This going to be virtually impossible, unless a miracle happens, all we can give is our best." She finished as the bell rang; they hastily replaced the books on the shelves and hurried up to the next floor. Zidane took her to Jess and Rose before departing to the next room.

Dagger was more than a bit self-conscious about him leaving; she didn't know why it's not like she hadn't been in this situation that very morning. Jess and Rose guided her to the back of the classroom in the middle row, the desks were set out in fours. There wasn't really time to talk in Mr Raven's class. His rules said talking could only be accepted during exercises, there must be absolute silence when notes were being copied from the board. She didn't like Mr Raven, he had almost bitten her head off when she had told him she was new and didn't have an exercise book. She shuddered at the memory, rarely in her life had she been shouted at.

It was during one of those unbearable silences that Zidane interrupted the lesson.

"Mr Ryan, sent to my class on the first day. A new record isn't it" it was more of a statement than a question. "Take the desk next to miss Rose Crescent –."

"No sir! I haven't been sent out of class for once, my teacher thinks I need a tutor. She thinks I will concentrate more if there was no one to distract me, she said you would assign the task to someone in your class." Zidane interrupted.

"You've already corrupted the minds of the people in my class, no one would be able to teach you two things before you've distracted them. Oh except the new girl, yeah she will be your tutor okay?" With that Zidane nodded and left the room after waving at the three girls.

Zidane and Dagger sat at their lunch table planning their project whilst waiting for their friends who were still in the queue. "We should start by sorting out what we believe and what we don't," She suggested.

"Well I believe…Emma's coming." He said as she sat down next to him.

"Nice to see ya again. So tell us about yourself." Emma said ignoring Zidane completely. He waved his hand in front of her face, "Oh, hey Zidane." He said high-pitched in imitation of a girl's voice. "Sorry Zidane," Emma apologised.

Dagger told them about how her parents were going to leave her in Lindblum and move back to Alexandria in a week, how they had only come to help her settle in. When she mentioned the myth Emma cut her off.

"I bet you two are doing the myth for history. Ya know you two look good together."

Zidane hurriedly changed the subject "So who's your partner then?"

"Sam. Were doing about Treno's war. He's choice. What have we got next?"

"Geography, English and art." Jess said as she sat down "you should know, you were complaining about it earlier."

So the lunch hour was spent eating what Zidane called "frozen solid, disgusting, cold chips" and talking about life in general.

The bell rang and everyone slowly filed out, making their way to afternoon registration. Zidane was talking to Jess as they made their way into the classroom, Dagger followed behind them feeling a little left out. They took their seats and Mrs Bat began the register. Zidane glanced at Dagger, she looked confused or sad he wasn't sure which one. "Hey, what's wrong?" he said softly trying not to attract the teacher's attention. Dagger looked at him as the Mrs Bat's voice shouted. "Mr Ryan! I do believe I told the class I wanted silence. If you say another word I'll send you to the head."

"But – " he argued back.

"That is enough Mr Ryan! Now be quiet!" He wasn't going to back down.

"No! Why should I? I was only asking if she was all right! But you wouldn't have heard that because your" He whispered the word "deaf" The teacher then began demanding the class to tell her what exactly he had said, the class erupted in laughter.

Zidane stayed silent for the rest of registration rubbing his ribs where Dagger had elbowed him.

Geography, five minutes, one floor and two corridors later.

Zidane pushed her towards the teacher's desk and for once sat where he was told.

Mrs Cooke waited for the class to fill up before she placed Dagger anywhere. There were two spare places but Mrs Cooke said, "I'm not having that. Marcus there is no way I am letting you sit next to Mr Ryan for the second year in a row, no one makes the same mistake twice. Can you please move next to Emma?" Dagger was surprised everyone did as she said; it was only later she was told she was everyone's favourite teacher. "Now Dagger is it? You can either sit next to Rose or dare I say it Mr Ryan."

Dagger shrugged and walked over to sit next to Zidane who was smiling at the teacher's comment.

"Well it's your funeral." The teacher continued. "I don't know if your form tutors told you…did they read out a message?"

"No, Mrs Batty was to busy shouting at Zidane" Marcus shouted out.

She laughed, "Well that's not surprising. Anyway, Mr Sparrow (head teacher) was talking about your big projects, and although we know you have to include a little of each subject geography, English and Art have decided to join in with the project. Meaning you will be doing the projects during our classes." The students cheered, Zidane shouted "Alright!" and the teacher continued, "Today you'll be looking at maps to do with locations and era of your projects. Any problems? Okay, the maps are in the filing cabinets, get on with it."

"So where should we start, Alexandria?" Dagger asked she herself hated making decisions. They opened one of the drawers of the filing cabinet; taking out a folder marked 1600s and took their seats. After a while Zidane asked, "So…What was wrong in form?"

"I…I was just feeling a little lost. It was the first time in the day that I wasn't talking to someone, well except for maths. It was nothing really." Zidane's eyes were locked on to hers and she couldn't look away. "Where was I then?" He asked. Dagger handed him the map of Alexandria just for something to do as she replied, "talking to Jess"

Zidane thought for a moment then said, "oh yeah, I was teasing her about fancying Alex."

They began talking about the differences, the modern day city with the seventeenth century one. After all it was common knowledge that both Lindblum and Alexandria were destroyed and then rebuilt during the reign of Garnet and Zidane but it is long forgotten why.

"So why did you move to Lindblum? I mean I always thought girls preferred to stay with their parents where they feel safe" Zidane winced at his clumsy words and phrasing.

"Well, there was a problem at my old school in Alexandria which I'd rather not talk about. Although I hate living on my own I hated it more with my parents suffocating me. I've never really had a friend all I've done is worked." She was just stating the truth, but seeing the pity in his eyes she quickly added, "Not that I'm looking for pity or anything."

Zidane looked up again from the map and asked "So…you've never gone out at the weekend, never had friends, never gone out with somebody, never caused so much trouble in town your sent to the regent, you've never been grounded? Well I'll take back the grounded one, it must have felt rather similar."

"You've done all that?" she said in a surprised tone. Zidane nodded, blushed then added "Well except for the third." Dagger thought for a moment and in her head she heard Zidane's voice repeat his words, she couldn't say she wasn't surprised. "You've never been – " He cut her off as his blush deepened "Shh…Change of subject?" he pleaded. She shook her head and smiled "no" then after a while she said "why?"

He hesitated then reached out for her arm with his left hand and leaned in to whisper, "Look…I…" he faltered, "I…I can't explain."

"Mr Ryan, what you do with miss Gilla outside school is your business but can you keep it out of the classroom please!" Zidane then realised how close they were and sat up dropping his hand, "sorry."

"Now what are you doing?" She took one look at Zidane and the date on the folder and said "The myth. The amount of times he interrupted my lessons last year and when he wasn't doing that he was filling his exercise book with it."

"I only interrupted the lesson when my exercise book was full and I had no other paper on me." He corrected her.

"So what about the myth exactly?"

"Well, we want to find the truth behind it, but if that's not possible we would just do the different versions of the myth." Dagger said.

The teacher nodded "sounds like a plan, you will need the whole folder correct?" at their nod she wrote a note on a piece of paper and handed it to Dagger asking her to place it in the cabinet in the folders place.

As she walked over to the cabinet she read the note "these papers are missing thanks to Zidane Ryan and Dagger Gilla, suits the date on the folder." She shook her head and made her way over to Zidane. He was busy reading her notes on the differences of Alexandria. "Almost time for English, wonder what we will be doing. Did you read the note?" She shook her head and Zidane said, "Ah, Mrs Cooke wouldn't tell me. I don't trust her, last time she said there was a fifty gill prize for whoever returned the papers to her."


	4. English,Art and Friday

I'm running out of things to write...thanks for the reviews...on with the story.

_Zidane said, "Ah, Mrs Cooke wouldn't tell me. I don't trust her last time she said there was a fifty gill prize for whoever returned the papers to her."_

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English, art and Friday

"Ah, look who's here, Mr Ryan late as usual." Mr Crescent said as he turned to face the door. Zidane pulled Dagger into the room behind him. "And who is this, your girlfriend Mr Ryan?" The teenaged boy sighed whenever he entered Mr Crescent's room with a girl he received that comment and the answer was always "No, this is Dagger, it's her first day." Zidane sat in one of the two spare seats next to Jess. Leaving Dagger to sit behind him next to Amillia.

"Now as I was saying, in English you will learn how to put together your opening speeches and write your projects texts in a comprehensible and logical way. Copy down these notes please." He turned and began writing on the board his hand was virtually illegible. The class was filled with the soft murmuring of people sitting next to each other talking quietly. Zidane tired of writing notes he wasn't even sure he was copying down right kept turning round in his seat to talk to Dagger behind him. The teacher had turned from the board and stopped the lesson numerous times because of this saying cryptic comments that meant things along the line of "Mr Ryan if you really badly need to talk to the girl will you please sit next to her" and "Mr Ryan if you don't turn around you'll be standing in the corridor, then you will miss her even more." Mr Crescent was one of those teachers who are strict when it comes to completing work but can be quite fun if the work is done.

The lesson ended with the class exiting the room with half written speeches, they made their way to art.

Zidane, Dagger, Emma, Martin, Sam, Marcus, Rose, Jess, Alex and Amillia all managed to sit round one of the four huge tables in the room. Their task was to build a miniature Lindblum to practice teamwork as a trial before the project groups began making the models for the projects. Zidane, Marcus and Sam spent most of their time flicking papier-mâché at each other although Zidane and Jess were both keeping an eye on Dagger seeing as Martin had taken a liking to her, which was never a good sign for girls. Class ended and Dagger declined the offers from her new found friends to walk her home. They headed to their lockers then onto the school entrance. "So...see you tomorrow?" Zidane asked as he turned to her, she nodded and asked "Why do you start the majority of your sentences with 'so'?" Zidane shrugged "didn't realise I did guess it's a habit." He paused then continued, "You know what's weird? Although I only met you today I feel like I've known you for years. I guess what I'm trying to say is your cool! See ya tomorrow!" Dagger smiled as he walked away, her first day had been remarkable and she had made her first ever friend 'And what a guy he is' she thought to herself. (A/n she doesn't fancy him...here)

The next morning found Dagger at her locker waiting nervously for the bell to ring, she was only a little surprised that she was nervous since the day before was so great but it was still just her second day. "Hey!" Zidane shouted as he came into view. "What lessons have we got today?" Dagger shook her head "I have no idea."

"Well were a hopeless couple...pair" He corrected himself mid-sentence. The bell rang and he turned to her "Remember the way?" she shook her head again.

They arrived in form with Zidane pushing the door wide open and saying "Good morning Mrs Batty!" only to receive a glare of disapproval and a sharp "Mr Ryan!"

"Zidane, what was the trick you played on the poor woman to make people think she's batty?" Dagger asked as they took their seats. "Poor woman? She kept me in detention for sneezing out of place. Anyway it was near the end of the school year and I was fed up of detention. So I rigged up a plan to make her seem insane." He was just about to fill her in with the details when Mrs Bat called for silence. Registration was rather dull since the teacher insisted on silence. Mrs Bat read out a message half way through, and Zidane and Dagger left to find their history teacher as they were asked to, wondering what on earth she wanted.

"Ah here you are. Okay I need all your plans for your project and then you may begin your opening speech." Dagger and Zidane shared a bewildered look, they had barely entered the room and she was already shouting instructions at them in top speed. Dagger opened her bag taking out a folder, which she passed to the teacher. The folder contained all of the work she had done during the lessons the day before. Zidane however brought out a small pile of creased and bent paper from the very bottom of his bag. "The famous Legend, I should have expected this from you Mr Ryan. Okay these plans are detailed but are missing a few points, which I would be happy to bullet point for you. Now to complete this project effectively I would say you would have to visit the areas of the events. This is all very well for a model student but you Mr Ryan will have to beg the headmaster to even consider letting you be privileged with one of the few chances the school is allowing outside the city during school time. Normally I would say you have no chance but you are so enthralled with this myth I think you have a chance. Now your opening speech."

Zidane was grinning, 'she thinks I have a chance' he thought, his grin widened with 'she really like throwing things like this at us, doesn't she'.

Dagger was looking at him expectantly completely bewildering him then he remembered he promised to do the opening speech on the spot 'bugger!' was the only word that came to mind.

They entered the headmaster's office Zidane commenting on how little it had changed except for the appearance of a potted plant over an ink stain on the carpet. Zidane was nervous, it was one of the very few times he was, and after all he had to convince the headmaster to let him out of school to complete the project. His failure meant letting Dagger down.

They walked into the back room; the old man there looked up and smiled at the sight of the biggest troublemaker in school while thinking to himself 'thank god he has calmed down this year.'

"Mr Ryan, Miss Gilla what can I do for you?" He placed his reading glasses and the papers he held onto the desk in front of him.

"It's about our project sir. We were told a few groups are allowed out into the world to complete their projects." Dagger began.

"And we were wondering if you are willing to let me have a chance I can be serious." Zidane finished. The head frowned slightly instinctively he wanted to say no but something was holding him back. "What are you doing for your project?" he asked finally.

"The Legend, sir." Zidane said hesitantly. This made the man smile and seriously consider accepting, the boy has always been extremely enthusiastic about the myth, he could accomplish something. "Very well I will get back to you when I have come to a decision. I will be checking your work in classes to do with this project even yesterdays although it was the first day. Mr Ryan you are dismissed. Miss Gilla a word please."

"Yes sir." Zidane left and Dagger turned to the head.

Dagger met the waiting Zidane outside who immediately said, "What did he say?"

"He just wanted to see how my first day went and told me to try to keep you out of trouble."

"Whatever he told you I didn't do it."

She laughed. "Guilty conscience?" they reached their lockers and Zidane threw his diary in unceremoniously as he said "very guilty conscience" he shut the locker door, a second later bringing his hand down upon it saying "Well that was stupid, Zidane".

He took a bent paper clip from his pocket and pick locked the door. Swinging it open and showing the tiny golden key sitting on top of his diary. He took it and closed the door. "Do that often?" Dagger asked as they headed off to the last five minutes of class.

* * *

Another chapter finished. Thanks to every reader. 


	5. Friday continued

He took a bent paper clip from his pocket and pick locked the door. Swinging it open and showing the tiny golden key sitting on top of his diary. He took it and closed the door. "Do that often?" Dagger asked as they headed off to the last five minutes of class.

**Friday continued.**

Dagger left the maths classroom in the company of Jess. She felt they were becoming quite good friends; Zidane would still always be her first friend however. "I wonder how Zidane survived maths today." Jess said as they walked down the corridor. 'Zidane, aren't I supposed to be tutoring him in maths.' Dagger thought, suddenly he ran out in front of her and Jess followed by his teacher who was red in the face. Dagger believed that if he was drawn in a cartoon steam would have been exiting his head via his ears.

" I will be checking up on your math on Monday Mr Ryan, make no mistake about it! One wrong answer, one, and you will be out of my class and being taught in isolation by the head! Do I make myself clear!" the teacher roared and without receiving an answer he slammed the door shut.

"What on earth did you do?" Jess cried at Zidane who was smiling slightly.

"I got a question wrong, so what? He totally over reacted." He said to receive two identical disbelieving looks; "I got ten questions wrong, okay! I don't like admitting I'm dumb!"

"Your not dumb, Zidane. You just don't pay attention." Dagger said Zidane lifted his eyes to hers surprised.

"Oh yeah, Dagger I need your help, I have to be able to do simultaneous equations what ever the hell that is by Monday. All twenty questions without a single mistake. Please will you help me?" he begged, his hands held together in prayer.

She nodded "of course, I'm your tutor aren't I?" She said rhetorically.

"Oh so your not helping because I'm your friend?" He replied in mock anger.

"Do you want to do math now? I mean it might be a waste of lunch hour but you won't be forced into isolation on Monday."

"Sure, it's better than the annoying loud hall and freezing – "

"Enough about the schools chips! I'll see you guys in form room." Jess joined Martin and Amelia who had begun their journey down to the hall whilst Zidane led Dagger away to the library.

Zidane threw the book down in frustration "I can't do this! What insane Loony came up with simultaneous equations?"

"Come on Zidane. You're getting it…slowly. It's easy once you get the hang of it." Dagger said at a loss of what to say.

"Your not helping." He grumbled.

She began again going through it step by step. Zidane through his pen down, "How about we go to lunch, I'm never going to get this, like I said I'm dumb. There's no point in this."

"Zidane your not dumb. You can get this if you try."

"You don't know me, how would you know if I'm dumb or not?" he said annoyed.

"Fine!" she snapped, picking up her books and getting up out of her chair all the while Zidane was mentally berating himself.

She had left the library before Zidane had the sense to chase after her and apologise.

He grabbed her hand spinning her round to face him. He opened his mouth and was just about to explain when the silence of the corridor became apparent. Dagger realised he wasn't going to say anything and began to turn back down the hall again.

"Dagger wait." Zidane stopped her, his words sincere, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you its just…maths is so frustrating and…something has been bothering me and…I know that's not an excuse…" He trailed off, one hand scratching the back of his head in uneasiness. "Forgive me?" he asked pleadingly, Dagger gave the barest of nods. "I still need you to teach me math." He rather hesitantly added.

"Why? You don't want my help." He reply was cold, although he could have sworn it was tinted with hurt.

"I do want your help! Seriously, I just get frustrated when I can't do things."

"Fine, lets just forget this ever happened."

They re-entered the library.

"That's right, Zidane!" Dagger said in disbelief, "I thought you were supposed to be bad at maths and furthermore dumb? You did this first time."

"I am bad at maths! And you can hardly call that first time after all the complaining about it I made."

"You were complaining before I had even finished writing the equation. Your problem is you don't want to learn."

"I guess I usually know in advance when I won't be able to grasp a concept. But the fact that my substitute teacher is a lot better looking than the head of maths helps"

She elbowed him and changed the subject, "Well since were here do you want to finish writing up the various stories of the legend?" Zidane nodded.

The bell rang and every student ran for the closest exit of the building, another school day had finished. Zidane and his rather large group of friends stood on the steps leading into school. Although they were standing in a circle there were numerous conversations taking place.

"We can do Linblum tomorrow, that is if you're not doing anything," Zidane said.

"No I'm not. I haven't actually seen Linblum yet part from the parts I pass to get to school. My parents have visited everywhere in town, I'm not allowed to go with them apparently I have plenty of time to see the town." Dagger replied knowing full well she was rambling.

"You might have to come get me though. I'm no good at getting up on the weekends." She nodded and took the piece of paper he handed her. "See ya tomorrow!" Zidane sped off in the direction of his home.

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sorry! I have been busy lately. i did my speaking and listening very badly i'm no good at talking in front of a large audience for ten minutes. anyway i have been writing a story called Magicians Apprentice on if you have the time check it out. Sorry again!! 


	6. Lindblum

_"You might have to come get me though. I'm no good at getting up on the weekends." She nodded and took the piece of paper he handed her. "See ya tomorrow!" Zidane sped off in the direction of his home._

**Lindblum**

A very nervous Dagger wandered the streets of Linblum, it was Saturday and the market square was packed with stalls and carts, cloths flung over the top to shade the food from the summer sun, people crammed the streets.

It was 10 in the morning, Dagger had never seen so many people out on the streets this early in the morning. Alexandrian's people would never even dare to be seen in a market such as this but Dagger found it fascinating if a little intimidating.

Turning down an alley off of the town square she entered a deserted street.

Dagger knocked upon Zidane's door, moving strands of her hair behind her ear nervously. The door swung open and she came face to face with a middle-aged woman with blond hair and a tail. "Hello there dear, what can I do for you?" she asked. Dagger swallowed "I'm here for Zidane" The lady smiled warmly "Well come on in then, may I ask your name?" She ushered her inside. "Dagger, Dagger Gilla"

"Ah, a name from the myth. You're a beautiful girl no wonder that mischievous monkey of mine has befriended you. You'll have to wake him, first door on the left but right hand side of the corridor dear. I'll be here if you need me" Dagger nodded her thanks and climbed the stairs. Her feet touched the bare rough wood planks as she came face to face with a dark mahogany door. She knocked and received no answer. She stood there uncomfortably for well over five minutes debating with herself whether to go in or not although knowing she had to. (A.N Have you ever done that? I'm not the only one, right?) Eventually she gently took hold of the handle and pulled it down. The door creaked open slightly; she pushed it open a little more and called his name. Still nothing. Fully opening the door she entered closing it behind her. Her eyes travelled around the room coming to rest on a sleeping form, Zidane.

Now to wake him she thought, walking over she tapped him on the shoulder then again harder when he didn't respond.

Zidane stirred, eyes fluttering open he looked straight into hers softly saying "Hey Dagger. What time is it?"

"Err…" She glanced around the room, she remembered seeing a clock around here somewhere, glancing at the green glowing digits on the bedside table she read 10:30 and told him as much. He sat up, the cover slipping down his bare chest to the top of his trousers, yawning he said "Thank god it's Saturday."

"Why are you so tired?"

"School takes a lot out of me. It's tiring trying to think of ways to disrupt lessons." He yawned again "Man I'm tired."

"So where are we starting the project today. We could go to the palace, speak to the regent-"

"How would we get an audience with the regent?"

"Like I said I've caused so much trouble in town I've been sent to him before. He wouldn't mind us dropping by, at least he will know where I am…I'm gonna go talk to my mum I'll be back in a second." He climbed out of bed knocking half of the cover to the floor. When he reached the door he turned and said "There's a whole load of books on the shelve up there" And exited the room. Leaving Dagger staring up at the books way to high for her to possibly reach. She sighed.

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This is half the chapter but my brother seperated it into two documents for some strange reason and it refuses to upload the second part i will try again tomorrow, sorry!


	7. Studying, Midnight and Information

"There's a whole load of books on the shelve up there" And exited the room. Leaving Dagger staring up at the books way too high for her to possibly reach. She sighed.

Studying, Midnight and Information.

Dagger threw herself backwards onto the bed annoyed at Zidane. In the past two days she had known him he had usually thought about her and now he had walked out the room completely missing the fact she would not be able to reach the shelf. _He has been acting strange this morning_ she thought as she contemplated on whether he is always so distant and edgy in the morning.

As she sat up he eyes swept the room before falling on a black leather bound book on Zidane's bedside table. Picking it up and opening it to the first page she read " Zidane's Journal" before hastily replacing it. She had no wish to invade his privacy especially since she was just getting to know him. Maybe if they were old friends…_No definitely not then _shethought.

Another book lay on the shelf below the journal which was clearly titled 'Zidane Tribal' She opened it to reveal the first page covered in pencil marks and comments beside the printed text. _So he hasn't left all the work up to me._ Bringing her eyes up to the top of the page she read the first paragraph "Zidane Tribal is suspected to be either a nobleman or a thief, which are far apart on the class scale. In both theory's he met the 16 yr old Princess Garnet when he was 19…"

Zidane opened the door abruptly and grinned when she jumped, he was just closing the door when his mum's voice called up the stairs "Zidane!" He rolled his eyes and turned shouting the typical teenage answer "What mum?" Dagger stood and wandered over to the door. "Come and get breakfast and take some up for Dagger too." Sighing he descended the stairs and reappeared a few minutes later laden with two plates and a plea for her to eat it or his mother would kill him. She held the door open for him and another shout came up the stairs "And will you get dressed soon" Zidane answered exasperatedly before starting on his breakfast.

Dagger was little more than half way through when Zidane finished and wandered over to his wardrobe made from blue wood. She averted her eyes from him, as he put on the first t-shirt he came across, and continued through her breakfast.

Picking both plates up she headed to the kitchen without a word and by the time she had come back Zidane was fully dressed, wide awake and sitting cross legged on his bed next to a pile of books that had previously been sitting on the shelf.

He looked up and said "Hey are you any good at taking notes?" She nodded and replied, "What books have you got? Where should we start?"

He thought for a while before replying "Erm…I will do Zidane's and you can do Garnet's but we will have to go get it from my sister's room though" he stood when she agreed and walked out onto the landing and down the corridor, Dagger right behind him. He quietly entered her room whilst Dagger stood at the doorway. A cot lay in the corner of the room with its side down showing an adorable three-year-old girl fast asleep. The teenage girl glanced at Zidane who was kneeling at his sister's side and looking around the room. Rather reluctantly she entered after him to kneel beside him "Aww, she so cute." She whispered to him to receive "How comes you've never said that about me? The book is over there on the shelf." in reply as he nodded his head in the direction of the shelf. Dagger stood up and even before she reached the shelf she knew she wouldn't be able to reach, but she tried vainly anyway. "I can't reach Zidane!" she whispered across the room and as he glanced up she gave him a warning glare that if he even thought about laughing she was going to kill him. He grinned and replied; "Here, let me" before walking over to easily grab the book.

Dagger sighed as she thought _why didn't he just get it in the first place?_

When they re-entered his room she asked, "She's adorable. What's her name?" Zidane smiled "Yeah she is. Her name's Midnight." Looking back down at the book Zidane handed to her she asked, "Whose book is this I mean your sister can't read?"

"Oh it's mine. I must have left it in her room last night when I finished reading to her. It's the only book she'll listen to, she's not interested in anything else."

"You read to her?"

"Yeah. My mum made me do it a year ago for two weeks as a punishment but I found it fun so I've been doing it since then"

"That's sweet!" Dagger let the words out passed her lips before she could stop them she really didn't have the energy for an uncomfortable silence so she hurried on "So have you wrote notes in this book as well?"

"I think so. Can't be sure though." He replied as he wrote 'Zidane Tribal – suspected age 19-23 – thought to be a thief or a noble without royal birth. Nobleman story – 23 yr old son of Lord Tribal who died from an unknown disease causing Zidane to visit Alexandria to arrange his funeral. While he was doing this he ran into the Princess Garnet who ran away from the castle and saved her from a mugger. Thief story – 19 yr old thief snuck into the castle with the idea of running off with the crown when he ran into Princess Garnet and well no one knows what happened next.'


	8. Saturday, and a whole lot of nothing

I'm sorry i haven't updated in a while, but i've officially caught up on all coursework except maths. which means i can update quicker yay! although i'm writing two stories on fictionpress so i will be updating them as well. Not that you would probably care but they are called Magician's apprentice and warwizard.

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19 yr old thief snuck into the castle with the idea of running off with the crown when he ran into Princess Garnet and well no one knows what happened next.'_

**Saturday Continued**

"You know what? I think this is impossible and I don't think I completely believe the things I have read either." Dagger murmured as she read and re-read the passages in front of her before picking up a pencil and summarising it.

"Well you know what I think? I think we must be bloody mad taking on so much work." Zidane replied "then again it can hardly be considered as work if we enjoy it. Can it?" he paused before saying " Dagger, I-" A bang interrupted his question and although feeling rather annoyed he was concerned, he knew where that noise had come from. "Midnight?" he said loudly jumping up from his seat and down the landing. He was vaguely aware of Dagger following close behind as he opened the door to his baby sister's room.

Looking round the room over Zidane's shoulder she saw the dresser overturned and beside it Midnight crying as she sat on the floor. Zidane moved suddenly from in front of her as he bent to pick the infant up before playfully saying "What's with all the tears Middy?" making the girl giggle.

Midnight glanced at Dagger shyly who waved back with a smile before turning her attention back to her brother and asking "She your Girlfwend?" Zidane was taken by surprise and the only response he could manage was to blush profusely whilst looking extremely lost with what to say. Dagger however recovered more quickly and the only evidence she had ever been embarrassed by the comment was the slight tinge of red on her cheeks. "That's an awfully big word for a three year old"

The infant looked from one teenager to another smiling "but yoo didn't deny it"

Zidane smiled slightly, whilst Dagger said, "She reminds me of someone" glancing meaningfully at Zidane.

A few minutes later they were back in Zidane's room. Midnight and Zidane were sitting on his bed, Dagger however stood in front of them looking down.

"So Middy. Watcha want to do?" Zidane asked the infant whose only reply was a shrug of the shoulders. "You can sit down Dagger"

"I'm alright standing." Zidane sighed to him it felt like they were being annoying on purpose. He felt a tug on his t-shirt making him glance down at Midnight "her name's Dagger" Zidane nodded "I know, cool isn't it?"

He grabbed the young woman's hand pulling her down beside him much to Midnight's amusement, who Dagger was positive still thought she was Zidane's 'girlfwend' although the notion didn't seem to bother her _I mean Zidane's alright_.

A while or half an hour to be exact later Mrs Ryan came upstairs to collect Midnight and said that they had best be getting on with their project if they had any idea of finishing it and receiving a passing grade, to which Zidane said he had promised himself to get better than a C, if only once.

His mother tried her hardest to get her daughter to leave them in peace but it was practically impossible and it was at this point that Zidane came up with the 'genius' notion as he called it that they go to the park and sort the whole project out so that they knew exactly what they were doing. In truth he just wanted to get out into the open where it was easier to think straight.

"I wanna go with Ziddy and girlfwend!" Dagger looked to the ground and Zidane glanced between Midnight and his mother suddenly dreading the fact that he didn't deny Midnight's question. The look his mother gave him was strange and Zidane guessed she was happy with him; he really didn't like disappointing her. "Zidane, you wouldn't mind taking Midnight along with you?"

"Err, no of course not it would be fun. Wouldn't it Middy?"

"Yay! It'd be fun" she answered copying his speech.

His mother was disapproving, after all he was supposed to be planning a project not making it fun for Midnight, but agreed to the idea quickly at the thought of having time to herself; since Zidane's father was in Burmecia on business she had had to look after Midnight from when the child woke to when she fell to sleep.

Together the family and Dagger made their way down the stairs into the wide hallway. Zidane's mother was giving him the tirade of not getting into trouble; he had to look after a small girl and a young woman. "I won't mum but I'm pretty sure Dagger can look after herself" he replied picking up the impatient toddler and setting off out the door towards the park.

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Again really sorry but i will update more often. (Let's hope!) 


	9. Conversations at the park

Sorry! i've re-written this three times, it still doesn't seem right and each time it got shorter too.

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Zidane's mother was giving him the tirade of not getting into trouble; he had to look after a small girl and a young woman. "I won't mum but I'm pretty sure Dagger can look after herself" he replied picking up the impatient toddler and setting off out the door towards the park._

Conversations in the park 

Midnight ran off towards a massive obstacle course whilst the two teenagers made their way to the swings. All the way Zidane was keeping a close eye on his sister if anything happened to her he was dead.

"Well, down to the project. Do you think Zidane was a noble or a thief?" Zidane asked half his attention on his sister, a quarter on keeping himself seated on the swing and not falling off it backwards and the rest on Dagger.

"Well he was supposedly foul mouthed and I have never seen a foulmouthed nobleman, have you?"

"I guess not, but noble's could have been different then"

"They were even stricter about rudeness and language back then than they are now, Zidane. The king was an ex-thief."

"Then what brought him into the presence of a Queen, or princess or whatever?"

"I have no idea. Why were so many cities destroyed? Linblum, Alexandria, Cleyra…"

"Hey! How come Lindblum and Alexandria were rebuilt but Cleyra wasn't?" Zidane asked.

"Well the people of Cleyra were either killed or escaped I guess. I remember reading somewhere about refugees heading back to Burmecia to help rebuild and …replenish the community" Zidane smirked at her use of words before he slowly said, "Well if Cleyra was never rebuilt maybe we can find something there! I mean I know it's in the middle of a desert but that means there's a better a chance of getting something useful" Dagger appeared to be in two minds.

"That's great. But I've heard that that area is rather dangerous Zidane, we could get seriously injured."

"Haven't you ever done defence training in school? You know where they shove weapons in your hands and set you up against wild animals?" (A.N, there version of P.E)

"No, they banned that in Alexandria. Some eleven year old cut his lip."

"Is that it? Just a cut lip and they banned it?" Zidane asked incredulous. "Well anyway we can do it can't we? I mean think of what it means, we might have a chance in succeeding even if it is along shot."

Dagger relented, Zidane was so exited and practically begging for her to approve that she couldn't help but do just that. "We will talk to the Headmaster on Monday, we'll see what he says." Zidane grinned then abruptly swore under his breath as he turned his attention towards the park scanning it quickly before finding Midnight standing on a high platform jumping to reach the metal monkey bar, cms from the edge.

He jumped up from his seat and ran up the slanted ramp; looking around him quickly he tried to find the fastest route to her. '_This place is a maze'_ he thought as he franticly followed each path he could take.

Dagger jumped up from her swing and ran across the wood chippings till she stood below the platform Midnight stood upon, ready to catch her if it came to that. Dagger was quite short only amounting to 5ft 3, (A.N as tall as me or should I say as short as?) so the platform was still a good foot or so higher than her. '_Where are you Zidane?_' she thought just as he said Midnight's name and grabbed the girl round the middle saying, "I thought you once told me you didn't like heights?" then in a mock disappointed tone he said "There was me thinking you'd never lie to me Middy"

"Zidane are you coming down?" Dagger asked, there was no reply; she took a few paces backwards to see Zidane hold Midnight tightly as he jumped off the ledge. He landed beside and stumbled causing the three of them to fall to the ground. "Ow, you could have gone round, you know?" Dagger said over Midnight's laughter. She lifted her head up only to blush lightly, Zidane's arm had landed across her waist and with him busy pulling faces at Midnight so that the toddler wouldn't tell their mum he didn't look like he would be moving soon.

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next part will be added soon i promise! 


	10. Journey?

I finally found my notepad. this should have been up weeks ago but i lost it. seeing as it's the easter holidays though (as of now) i should be able to catch up to where i'm meant to be at. Sorry for the lateness. khawk

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_Zidane's arm had landed across her waist and with him busy pulling faces at Midnight so that the toddler wouldn't tell their mum he didn't look like he would be moving soon…_

Journey? 

Dagger sighed it was Sunday night and altogether a boring day. She thought back to yesterday '_Zidane wants to go to Cleyra. A long deserted town in one of the most dangerous places on the continent.' _They had spent the rest of the afternoon racing each other across the assort course. Zidane always won, not only was he a fast runner but he had a tail that improved his balance, which Dagger found to be quite unfair. She really had found a true friend…for once, she no longer felt scared that her parents were leaving her here in Lindblum on her own anymore. She was actually glad to be rid of them.

A knock at the door brought her out of her musings. "Dagger, time for bed, lights out." Her mother's voice muffled through the oak door said. Dagger sighed and turned to the clock, it read 8:55.

Saturday Night…

Zidane turned away from Dagger's gate, Midnight fast asleep in his arms. He began his walk home through the brick paved streets in the failing light of the sunset thinking quietly to himself '_Cleyra, maybe this is our chance; maybe we can find the truth. Then again maybe I'm getting my hopes up over nothing. If the headmaster agrees and we do find something then…great! If he agrees and we don't then I still get to spend a few days with a gorgeous girl. If he doesn't agree well …I don't know what I'd do'_

"Ziddy, watchu mumblin'?" The toddlers voice brought him the realisation that he was talking out loud. He shook his head "Nothing, nothing at all."

He opened the gate and went up the front garden path towards his front door. Carefully opening the door he entered the house and climbed the stairs to his sister's room. "Night Middy" he said looking back at her fast 'She looks like an angel when she is asleep but she is a devil when she is awake' he thought just before closing the door, the last sliver of light from the landing being locked out of the room.

"Fast asleep?" Zidane jumped. He turned nodding his head before walking passed his Mother and down the stairs dreading the approaching conversation his little sister had forced upon him just by believing Dagger was his girlfriend…Was? Is, he wished.

Zidane sat down at the kitchen table as Mrs Ryan put the kettle on. She took the seat opposite before asking, "So how long have you known Dagger?" He looked up at the middle aged woman and replied, "She's the new kid at school I was telling you about"

She nodded as she remembered, "She's such a beautiful girl." Zidane unconsciously nodded slightly as he mumbled "Yeah she is…and not just on the outside." Although he had known her for all of three days he was fast becoming best friends with her, that is if that weren't already. His mother stood from the table to brew the tea before retaking her seat. "I hope that's not the reason why you first talked to her?"

"Wha…No, her locker was next to mine and she saw me put my book in my locker. I talked to her because she showed an interest in the myth, because she looked at little lost and …I don't know, I just felt I had to."

His mum smiled and nodded "So what is she like?" Zidane knew this question was coming and he also knew where it was leading. Hopefully he could manage to sneak off to bed before it reached it that point. "She…She's quite shy, well extremely shy actually. She's not horrible to anybody even Martin who has taken a liking to her. She gets embarrassed easily; nearly everything I say turns her bright red. But I really like her"

"Did she get embarrassed when Martin was complimenting her?"

Zidane frowned "No she just said he gives her the creeps, why?" Instead of answering she stood and poured the tea out before handing him a steaming mug. He placed his hands around it warming them through the china. "So, got yourself a girlfriend yet?"

And there was the question he was dreading. He sighed and shook his head "No, I just don't like any girls that way, they're either totally superficial or their my friends" he looked up and so the hope die in his mother's eyes and hurriedly continued "Well…"he faltered staring at the cup in his hands. He knew she knew what he had been about to say, he had seen the hope relight in her eyes, and so found no reason to voice it out loud anyway, besides he didn't really want to admit it to himself, the feeling scared him a little.

"Well? Why don't you ask this 'well'?" She said with a smile.

Zidane sighed "Maybe." He downed the tea "Goodnight mum." And walked out of the kitchen only to turn back and ask "When is dad coming home?"


	11. Headmaster's Decision

Sorry it took me so long to get this up.

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_Zidane sighed "Maybe." He downed the tea "Goodnight mum." And walked out of the kitchen only to turn back and ask, "When is dad coming home?"_

**Headmaster's decision**

Dagger entered her form room Zidane was nowhere in sight. Turning to Jess she asked "Have you seen Zidane this morning?" Jess shook her head then said "don't worry he'll be here. He has missed one day off of school in the last three years; he enjoys pranking the teachers too much. Has he told you about the time when he pranked Mrs Batty, he had the flu then. Anyway he's usually late on Mondays, he claims "its tradition!""

"The prank against Mrs Bat that everyone keeps talking about, what exactly happened?" she asked as they took their seats.

"What he hasn't told you?"

"Well he was going to but he got interrupted."

"Oh well, it was an extremely cleverly planned trick that involved that window over there" she said pointing and was just about to continue when Mrs Bat shouted "Enough with the talking Miss Carter!" Jess looked up at the rather large elder woman and said, "My surname's Harris, Amillia is Carter!"

"Fine, whatever. I'll write the detention out for Miss Harris then shall I?" just then the door opened and Zidane entered. "I'll make that Mr Ryan" Mrs Bat corrected herself.

"You'll make what Mr Ryan?" Zidane asked.

"This detention form. May I ask how many times I have told you I do not appreciate you arriving late for form room? Will you ever get the message?"

Zidane smiled "I have already got the message. Haven't you ever wondered why I do it so much?" Seeing Dagger shaking her head at him he walked over to her, "Hey, I saw the headmaster when I was coming into school. He wants to see us now, preferably quickly so we won't miss first lesson." Dagger stood gathering her diary and notebook "Okay, but why do we have to see him? I mean I know we do …want to, that is. But why do we _have_ to?" frowning at her words she glanced up at the sixteen year old who was quite a bit taller than her.

"I mentioned we wanted to see him. But he was pretty adamant that we didn't miss any lessons in doing so. First lesson on a Monday is always slow in starting so we would have more time than we would at any other point in the day." He explained to her as they left the classroom completely ignorant of the glares they were receiving from Mrs Bat and her shrieking voice questioning why they were leaving the classroom without so much as a word let alone permission.

"I am not so sure that is a wise thing to do. Sending two sixteen year olds into the depths of the most dangerous place on this continent just for a school project is the type of event that can get this school into deep trouble. Not only with the Regent, especially since it's you Mr Ryan, but also with the King of Alexandria. I may however consider it, if your fighting skills prove efficient Mr Ryan. Miss Gilla however I am fully aware that you do not do this kind of physical activity in Alexandria. Therefore if and only if Zidane proves himself I will grant permission for you to travel to Cleyra." Mr Sparrow sighed before asking, "May I ask why you find a need to visit such a desolate place as Cleyra. There is nothing there but sand and a dead tree?"

"Well we think we might be able to find something, anything. Alexandria, Linblum, Burmecia were all destroyed and then rebuilt. No one bothered to rebuild Cleyra, the story is that the Cleyran people were all killed when the place was destroyed apart from the few who helped rebuild and …populate Burmecia…There may just be something," Zidane said. Dagger could hear the absence of hope in his voice he had carried when he first mentioned travelling there and made a decision to ask him about it.

"Well then, let me think on it. If I don't send you a message out this afternoon then expect one at some point tomorrow. Now off to first lesson you two. I do believe the bell rang not ten minutes ago."

They left his office and wandered up the hallway neither of them in a hurry to reach their next class. '_Next class? Where are we meant to be, exactly?'_ Dagger thought.

"What have we got? Zidane?"

"What?" he asked breaking himself away from his thoughts? She repeated her question following it up with "Are you okay?" He nodded "We've got PSE, great! What a lovely morning" he said sarcastically.

"What's after that?"

"Defence training, I hope you do okay" he said before entering the classroom it was at that point that Dagger realised they were back at form room. They took their seats and Dagger said "Will we always have PSE with our form tutor?" Zidane nodded, "this is the worst lesson in the whole timetable, including maths"

Mrs Bat stood at the front of the room and began a long speech about marriage, relationships and children. Martin however wasn't listening in the slightest he had leant back in his chair to begin talking to Rose. Dagger glanced round and found the rest of the class had switched off also.

Zidane hadn't even listened to the first word, he was to busy doodling in his notebook. Dagger leaned over to take a closer look at his drawing and he tapped her on the nose with his pencil motioning her to move away so that he could finish his picture.

Exhausted Dagger entered the cool changing rooms, collapsing on one of the wooden benches she sighed. She had never been so nervous and terrified in her life; she thought they would at least train her a bit in how to use a weapon before setting a wild creature on her. She knew she wasn't in any real danger for the defence instructors were standing by ready to help, and she did manage to keep the animal at bay. '_But…I couldn't kill it. It's not right to kill a defenceless animal…defenceless? It was hardly that' _

Standing up she grabbed a cup of water off of the cabinet in the middle of the changing rooms before heading off out side. Standing with the rest of the class who had either had or was waiting their turn behind the wire fence separating the school from the field and the city beyond. Looking across she could see the boys doing the same further up the field. Walking to the end of the girls line she studied the figure that was fighting. Whoever they were they were amazing fighters, glancing away back to the girls she watched Jess walk round and enter the field. Looking back at the boys she saw a nervous Zidane enter the field. From what she had heard from the gang of friends Zidane had formed he was a brilliant fighter and found herself wondering at the source of his nervousness. That was when she noticed the Headmaster trying to inconspicuously glance out a window on the second floor of the building and it came to her. Zidane needed to prove himself to be able to go to Cleyra.

Looking back at the field she watched both Jess and Zidane stand in position waiting for the whistle and the grating sound of metal upon metal that was the opening of the cages containing the opponents.

The whistle blew, the cages were opened and two fast dog-like creatures with large sharp pointed teeth charged the students. Dagger closed her eyes tightly and heard the sound of metal hitting solid calcium. Opening her eyes she found that Zidane had cut through the two sharp teeth of the wild animal, making it relatively harmless. Jess mimicked his move with, as much force as she could muster but found her blade wouldn't make it all the way through in one strike. She spun leaning down to grab another blade ignoring the creatures thrashing as it tried to dislodge the blade. Before long four sharp long teeth lay on the ground and the animals were herded back into their cages.

As Jess exited the field she said "Zidane must have it that creatures teeth extremely hard to get the blade to go through both of them. I couldn't get it to go through one. Hey! Dagger, where did you disappear to, we didn't get to tell you how well you did?"

"What are you talking about, I messed up?" Zidane walked up to them along with the rest of the boys and the class made their way to the changing rooms where they sat waiting for their mark.

"-Miss Murray, Grade B, mark 77. Miss Gilla, Grade B, Mark 82. Miss Carter, Grade C, Mark 65 and Miss Harris, Grade C, Mark 66" the instructor stepped back and another stepped forward. "-Mr Wetherby, Grade C, Mark 62. Mr Lenherd, Grade B, Mark 79. Mr Stantford, Grade B, Mark 81 and Mr Ryan-" Zidane glanced up with a blank expression "Grade A, Mark 94." The instructors departed, and everyone congratulated Zidane who still sat not a flicker of emotion passing across his features. The bell rang and the students began lazily to exit the changing rooms and out into the sunshine. Zidane jumped up from his seat shouting, "Yes!" The group of friends laughed and Martin asked with a laugh "Just how long have you been waiting to do that?"

"Probably from the moment the instructor said A" answered Amillia "But you know Zidane hates being centre of attention."

They exited the room and entered the grounds outside, whilst in the dim light of his office Mr Sparrow sat deep in thought before placing his pen on paper and writing a note to their form tutor to excuse them at afternoon registration.

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I might be able to get the next chapter up in a few days it depends on the amount of revision my teachers dump on me. 


	12. Cleyra

GemEncrustedEarth - School system? Can you explain that please and I will try to answer as best I can? I'm just being a bit dumb at the moment and can't understand the question. Sorry.

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_They exited the room and entered the grounds outside, whilst in the dim light of his office Mr Sparrow sat deep in thought before placing his pen on paper and writing a note to their form tutor to excuse them at afternoon registration._**Cleyra **

"Really! Your letting us go?" Zidane said loudly in surprise then in a quieter tone he added "I can't help but think your slightly mad, sir. No teacher in their right mind would send me away without supervision like that…unless they were trying to get rid of me."

The headmaster laughed, "Yes well seeing how you managed to get 94 marks out of 100. I don't really see how I could go back on my promise of considering letting you go."

"Yeah but you promised to _consider_ it. You didn't actually have to let us go"

"I am fully aware of that fact Mr Ryan, but with your excellent grade in defence and the maturity you show at home and outside the classroom I can't see a reason not to let you travel to Cleyra. There was just one matter that was making me hesitate in this decision but seeing as Miss Gilla is going with you it has been taken care of."

Zidane glanced at Dagger; she was just as confused as he was. "Er…Sir what matter is that?"

"Well your maths tutoring of course. I visited Mr Raven and it was only then I found that you, Miss Gilla, have been given the task of tutoring the lad. Which means even while your gone there is a chance his math grades will pick up"

Zidane groaned, "You mean I still have to do math. And there I was thinking I wouldn't have to see a textbook until we got back."

"However…although I have granted permission I cannot let you go without that of your parents." He handed them two forms, "And Mr Ryan, remember what I said about forgery?"

Zidane nodded. As they left the office Dagger noticed a sad expression pass quickly across Zidane's face, "What is it?"

"Huh? Oh, I just hope Dad is home before we leave…as much as I want to go…I can't leave Mother at home with Midnight by herself."

"When is your Dad supposed to come home?"

Zidane sighed, "That's just it. I don't know." They joined the mass of students heading to the last two lessons of the school day.

Zidane entered his house. Midnight came running up the hallway to greet him. "Middy!" he picked her up dropping his school bag on the floor. The toddler giggled. "Zidane dear once you've said hello to your sister can you pick your bag up off the floor please?" came his mothers voice. Zidane smiled, '_how did she know?'_

When he turned his attention back to his sister he found that she had taken his permission slip out of his jacket pocket. He took back off of her as she asked, "Did Ziddy get in twouble?" Zidane shook his head "Me? Trouble?" He placed the girl on the floor before picking his bag up and heading to the kitchen, Midnight following every step of the way. "Of course not." He took a seat at the kitchen table and handed the letter to his Mother before asking again, "Mum, when is Dad coming home?"

"Oh, he was meant to arrive yesterday but he was held up. Maybe tonight, dear." Zidane was surprised; his father usually came home the day before he told them not the day after. "Really? Hey Middy you hear that?" Middy gave no reply except for holding her arms in the air for Zidane to pick her up. He complied, sitting her on his lap before looking back at his mother.

"So what s this then? Not getting in trouble at school again are you?" Zidane shook his head wondering why everyone always assumed that. "No, mum." He watched anxiously as her eyes travelled across the printed writing, what was she going to say?

"Well, I see know reason why you cannot go to Cleyra." She said sarcastically, "except maybe for the fact it is one of the most dangerous places on the continent."

Zidane looked at her with what he hoped was pleading, "Mum please, this project is really important to me. Besides I'm sure Mr Sparrow isn't sending us there on own, leaving two teenagers in the middle of nowhere un-chaperoned is rather stupid."

"Chaperoned? Well I'm sure it would be fine for you to go. Just try not to mention this to your father, he is rather over-protective of you and Midnight."

"I've noticed." His father wouldn't even let him walk to school on his own, when he was home. When he was away, well, he accepted the fact that there was nobody to take Zidane and told him that he should be extra careful. "Wait…how can I not tell Dad? He will be home wont he?"

"Yes, but I'm sure there is someway round it, dear." A strong sense of doubt settled inside him and he was unable to shift it for quite a number of hours, little did he know that he would be travelling to Cleyra at mid-week (Wednesday).

Zidane stood staring out across the lands owned by the Linblum regent as the airship flew on its course over the mountains towards Cleyra. To tell the truth he felt like he was having one long dream that started the moment he met Dagger and that he would snap out of it at any moment. What was the chance of him, a sixteen year old, getting his dream of finding the truth when so many historians had failed?

He heard footsteps coming up behind him and turned to see Dagger.

"Hey, so how did Midnight take your leaving? I mean she wont be getting her bed time story, who's going to send her to sleep?" She smiled.

"Er…" he scratched his head nervously, "You remember that? Father's at home, I'm sure he's perfectly capable of sending her to sleep." A silence descended and Dagger walked to the railing by his side looking over the side.

"It's really strange isn't it? Flying?" Zidane glanced over at her, giving her a strange look. There was nothing left to do but wait for the airship to descend in Burmecia, where they were to meet the captain of the Burmecian Royal Guard who was to escort them to Cleyra…


	13. Dagger

Sorry it's taken so long, you see I finished my exams on the 30th of June and decided to take a break after writing half the chapter, three weeks later i got bitten by my dog, i know i could still use a keyboard but not the mouse so much, but anyway i'm back now and seeing as i've finished school i've nothing to do so there should be more updates i've just got to write the next part of the story however as i've never got further than this point.

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There was nothing left to do but wait for the airship to descend in Burmecia, where they were to meet the captain of the Burmecian Royal Guard who was to escort them to Cleyra…

Cleyra's Secrets 

Zidane stood staring up at the lifeless tree of Cleyra, where as moments before he had been near crawling through the sand in exhaustion. The hot midday sun shone in the sky above the desert as it had throughout their long journey. He was in dire need of water but really couldn't be bothered to turn around and walk fifty paces back to the Burmecian Royal Guardsmen who gathered around a cart.

He turned his head to vaguely see Dagger and a Lieutenant making their way over to him, his eyes however were mainly drawn to the bottle of water his best friend held.

Upon reaching him Dagger handed over the bottle absentmindedly and stared up at the tree, squinting from the bright light before glancing over at the entrance to the dark cool tunnels leading into it's base.

She walked towards them instantly joined by Zidane and the Lieutenant.

"I don't think this place is too dangerous now that were passed the desert, me and my company shall await you here. Just shout if you need assistance." The young lieutenant said as he indicated them to go on ahead.

"Well at least it's cool in here. I just hope this place doesn't collapse on our heads" Zidane said cheerfully making his way further into the tunnels, there were many routes to take and the teenager was thoroughly aware he really should have been paying attention to which path they took. Several times they had to turn round and retrace their footsteps because of blocked passages and to their surprise quicksand.

The air was getting hotter the further into the tunnels they travelled; it was unbearable to breathe in some places.

"Erm…maybe we should go up?" Zidane said, his voice echoing eerily in the empty halls and tunnels. They had arrived at a huge hall, cavern like place and there really was no choice but to go up. The climb was hard, the sand making the feat near impossible but eventually they reached the top and exited into the hot sunlight and fresher air, but there was no where to go from there. The huge branches of the dead tree had been destroyed at this point.

Zidane sighed, "Now what? Do we give up? I bet whatever we're searching for is on the other side of one of this gaps anyhow."

"Maybe there's a way across. I bet the soldiers have rope…or something. It's worth a try." Dagger replied and she re-entered the hall and began the climb down.

"Hey wait!" Zidane ran after her neatly sliding down the slope only to stumble over a large plant root when he reached the bottom. There was a loud rumble and sand came pouring out of the tiny gapes in the walls.

Together they ran for the entrance into the halls, stumbling over the moving sand. Dagger was almost there when she heard Zidane cry out, spinning round she found him sitting on the ground looking at the sole of his boot.

"Zidane, let's go!" she called to him, desperation evident in her voice. But to her surprise Zidane began digging in the sand, she glanced quickly to the growing slope of sand, it's growth was slowing considerably.

"Okay, lets go."

Dagger turned her attention back to Zidane; he was limping slightly towards her holding a dagger.

"What happened to your foot?"

"Later." He grabbed her hand and pulled her out the room.

Dagger watched Zidane chuck the dagger up into the air catch it in the opposite hand. Despite having seen him do this numerous times in the past hour she still grimaced each time, he was bound to catch the wrong part of the dagger at least once if he continued. She had asked him to stop which he did for about five minutes but he claimed the was nothing to do on board the airship so he had continued his little game while she sat with him on the deck watching the world pass them by.

"Zidane, how did you hurt your foot?" she asked suddenly remembering that he never did answer her, and besides maybe he would be distracted enough to stop playing with the dagger.

"Oh, I trod on this thing," he waved the dagger, "must have been buried in all that sand or something." He frowned thoughtfully, "Then again, it wasn't exactly buried deep, maybe it came down in all that sand."

"Whose dagger do you reckon it is?"

"I don't know, probably an adventurer or a historian looking for remnants of Cleyra."

"Well, does it have a name on it or anything?"

Zidane turned the dagger over in his hands repeatedly looking closely at the small blade and hilt. "No, nothing…wait there is something there," he pointed to the blade where it joined the hilt, "but it's too small to read."

"Let me see," Dagger took the dagger holding it up close to read the engraved words. "I can't read the first few words, but I'm pretty sure one of them says "Tantalus" whatever that is."

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I know the daggers in the game haven't got anything written on them but...


	14. Tantalus

_Okay, for some reason I decided to write two chapters before placing them up here which is why it took so long. the second chapter I shall put up tomorrow after my psychology class._

_Thanks for the reviews:)_

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"I can't read the first few words, but I'm pretty sure one of them says "Tantalus" whatever that is."_Tantalus

"Tantalus." Dagger repeated to herself for the hundredth time, "Who would have the name of…I think it's a Greek King…yeah, I'm sure it is, written on their dagger?"

Zidane shrugged, "Maybe it was their name or something." He flipped the page over in his text book, glanced at it before turning in annoyance to Dagger, "Are you going to teach me math or can I go to bed? I'm beginning to wish I hadn't pointed that stupid writing out."

"Your right, we should be thinking about maths." She replied pulling the book to her with a slightly guilty look in her eyes. Zidane barely suppressed a groan of dismay before looking longingly at his bed in the cabin aboard the airship.

They were due to arrive in Lindblum at around seven in the morning. It was now approaching twelve, the two teenagers had spent most of their time sitting out on the deck talking about anything, everything as teenagers do whilst looking at the stars. It was because of this however that despite how much he had enjoyed it Zidane was beginning to wish they had come in earlier, for if they had he would be nice and warm tucked up in bed and not sitting crossed legged on the floor opposite Dagger. He was trying with all his might not to fall asleep but seeing as most of his concentration was on that and not maths he wasn't doing to well at answering the questions, or hearing them at all sometimes.

After ten minutes Dagger yawned and said, "Let's go to bed, it's pointless staying up any later." Zidane threw his arms round her saying, "Thank you," repeatedly, getting quieter and quieter. Dagger felt the weight of his head on her shoulder and smiling tiredly shook him, "Zidane, don't fall asleep." He grumbled a response and climbed up off his knees before holding his hand out to Dagger and pulling her rather haphazardly to her feet. Five minutes later they were both in their beds and fast asleep as the airship soared closer and closer to Lindblum…

"Hey, Jess! Wait up!" Dagger ran to catch up with the other teenager who had just spun round with a smile.

"Hey, how d'it go? Did you find anything? Did Zidane behave?"

"Yeah, it was brilliant I've never been to anywhere except Alexandria and Lindblum, I mean I've flown over it but…I'm sure Zidane will tell you everything." She paused as they began their way down the corridor, "Er…Jess, by the way, have you ever seen Zidane scared?"

"Zidane scared?" Jess shook her head, "No, no one has. He hides it well but sometimes he over does it."

"Huh? Over does what?"

"Whenever he's scared he pretends to be happy, it's a kind of guard. But, for what ever reason, when there is people he cares for and himself in some kind of danger then he tends to be a little too cheerful…He's actually quite complicated come to think of it."

They entered the form room and took their seats. After a few minutes of silence Jess turned round in her seat to talk to Dagger behind her, "So you saw Zidane scared, then?"

Dagger shook her head, "No, that's why I asked. He was rather cheerful actually; I just thought he was excited to be actually doing something that could be a clue to this whole myth thing. Maybe he was scared? But I don't know…" She trailed off. Shaking her head she said, "So, how is your project going? What happened when we were gone?"

Jess sighed, "My partner's off sick at the moment so I've been doing all the work myself which is rather tiring and as for what's happened…well there was an argument between Emma and Sam about their project or something and…well other than Batty getting a new hearing aid that seems to be worse than the last one…nothing really. Schools always boring without Zidane unless you count all the arguments, he seems to be the one who holds us all together."

Dagger nodded, she had noticed that at school he did seem to be at the centre of things. But then again he seemed to be drawing away from that lately, maybe she shouldn't force him to so much of the project in one go.


	15. Invitations

_The next chapter as promised._

_Thanks for the reviews and sticking by me even though i'm sometimes slow at updating. :)

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But then again he seemed to be drawing away from that lately, maybe she shouldn't force him to do so much of the project in one go.

Invitations

Zidane entered form room still showing the signs of six and a bit hours sleep. After they had arrived in the Lindblum docks at seven this morning they had walked into town before going their separate ways to their homes where they got ready for a Friday spent at school.

Dagger watched as he made his way towards her and his seat without even a word for Mrs Bat. _He must be tired_ she thought, Mrs Bat must have been thinking something along similar lines for she watched after him frowning.

"Zidane, are you alright?" Dagger asked as he reached his seat only to hear a grunt in reply. He sighed and added "I'm not used to only having six hours sleep, my mum force fed me porridge and my dad insisted on walking me to school"

Dagger nodded in agreement, she too was used to far more hours sleep especially with her parents' rules. Her parents...suddenly she remembered something, something she was supposed to have told or asked, depending on how you looked at it, Zidane at the beginning of the week.

"Er...Zidane? Are you by any chance awake enough to listen to what I'm saying?" she asked hesitantly.

Zidane looked at her then nodded, "For you, anything. Even if I were dehydrated I would walk across a desert. Even if I were exhausted I would climb a mountain...er I'll shut up now." Then seeing the look on her face he decided he should defend himself. "Oh, leave me alone, I'm tired."

Dagger laughed lightly at his weak defense, "Er, well anyway. My parents are going back to Alexandria tomorrow and-"

"Tomorrow? I thought you said they were to leave last weekend?"

"They were supposed to but they decided I wasn't properly settled in yet or something. Anyway they're leaving tomorrow and I'm going with them to visit my grandparents." She paused wondering how to phrase the next part. At her last words Zidane had sat up straight and watched her intently. _She's not going to be here _he thought, feeling slightly disappointed.

"And erm...I remembered you mentioning a photo you got off one of the others, a photo of a portrait or something in Alexandria castle." She looked at him for reassurance, he nodded she had the rough idea but he was too busy paying attention to what she was saying to explain it properly.

"And er you need to visit the castle right? So I was wondering if you wanted or rather are able to come with me and oh, Zidane please, please don't leave me with my parents and grandparents alone."

Zidane sat in silence for a while trying to figure out which part to address first. "Er yeah I need to visit the castle and I would absolutely love to come if I am able. But what is this about you not wanting to be left alone with your parents? And your grandparents? Don't you like them or something?"

Dagger smiled, he wanted to come. "I think they're trying to make me move back to Alexandria with them. They heard about you from the headmaster and how you were on the trip to Cleyra with me and they aren't exactly pleased I'm friends with you. I think it's just that they don't trust you and probably never will. I think keeping an eye on our friendship was one of the reasons why they really delayed their return. My grandparents never wanted me to leave in the first place. I can't go back and live in Alexandria, Zidane. I have no friends there, I have no life there." She looked at him before saying, "Everything I've ever wanted is here, in Lindblum."

Zidane found he was incapable of doing anything; he just looked at her in overwhelming sadness. He couldn't bare to think of going back to life without her, she had only been here a week and a day and she had already made a big impression on his life. He couldn't let them make her move to Alexandria for one they were supposed to uncover the myth before the world, how could they do that if they lived in different cities? Besides she was the only girl he ever even felt close to feeling...

"But...you're my best friend. Listen, Dagger, I-" he halted when he saw her close to tears. "Oh, Dagger, please don't cry." He leant over and wrapped his arms round her. Dagger buried her head in his shoulder bringing her arms up and round his back to hold onto his shoulders. After a while Zidane heard a muffled "Sorry".

"Dagger, you-"

"Mr Ryan! Miss Gilla! Will you stop this public display of-of...canoodling. It is not for the class room, I assure you!...Break apart this instant!"

Zidane broke away from Dagger thoroughly aware that they had the attention of the whole class. Dagger ducked her head down, hiding her tear stained face behind the curtain of her dark hair, blushing as brightly as Zidane was.

After an uncomfortable silence the class went back to their individual conversations and Zidane muttered, "Is it me or does Batty exaggerate everything. I swear she still lives in the past up here" He pointed to his head.

Lunch was miserable as all Friday lunches at Lindblum High were. The reason? The only food in the canteen was a week old and leftover from the days before. Zidane sighed and turned his attention to Emma. "Where are they? Are you sure you don't know? I don't believe you" he glared at her accusingly.

"I don't know where they are, I told you. Jess just told Dag that she wanted to speak to her and dragged her off somewhere. Most probably to the girls bathroom. And no for the last time I do not know what Jess wished to talk to her about."

"Dag?" Zidane mouthed before shaking his head and asking, "Well, why don't you go check then. And while your there see what they're talking about."

Marcus laughed, "What is up with you, Zidane? Why are you so anxious for Dagger to get back here? Can't you do anything without her? Or is it that you have a thing for her?"

Martin frowned and hurriedly said, "Or is it for Jess you have this thing? It is isn't it? Ahh, bad luck Sam."

Sam shrugged, trying to pretend as though it didn't affect him in the least but the disappointment was evident.

Zidane, blushing from the allegations and all the attention said, "I just need to see if Dagger's alright and talk to her about this weekend, that's all. And no I don't fancy Jess; she's like a sister to me. I don't fancy any girl, not one. So drop it."

_I don't fancy any girl, not one. But Dagger's not a girl. So, do I fancy her? Well I certainly believed so a few nights ago, didn't I?_

"Zidane, are you listening? I just insulted you, did you hear me?" Martin asked. Zidane glanced at him warily before narrowing his eyes daring him to say it again. "But it doesn't matter. Wasn't very good anyhow." Martin finished.

Sam laughed addressing Martin "You are such a wimp." He turned to Zidane, "He just implied that the reason you've never had a girlfriend is because you want a boyfriend. So, just ignore him."

Zidane shrugged and said, "Oh is that all? Your right it wasn't very good."

"What wasn't very good?"

The group turned as one to see Dagger and Jess approaching looking at them interestedly. Zidane shifted in his seat before saying, "Er...nothing. It doesn't matter." The group went about talking amongst themselves as Zidane stood, gripped Dagger's wrist firmly and gently pulled her aside._ Now, where do I begin?_ He hadn't spoken to Dagger since morning registration and she hadn't made much attempt to either. They just didn't seem to know what to say to each other.

"Er, Dagger, are you alright? About earlier I mean." She nodded and so he continued as best he could, "Look I don't know if I will be able to come to Alexandria, I mean I want to and my parents would probably relent eventually but...my mum told me that...when we left for Cleyra, Middy cried for hours. But maybe...just maybe...I mean...she might be better this time, right? Knowing I came back the first time." he let out a shaky embarrassed laugh. "Sorry. I'm not making much sense, am I?"

Dagger shook her head, "I understand." a pause then, "I think."

Zidane sighed in relief before frowning, "Er, Dagger, how am I supposed to let you know, it's like, tomorrow isn't it?"

Dagger shrugged, "Maybe you could phone me or something, before nine mind. My parents insist I'm in bed by then."

Zidane nodded in agreement and took the small piece of paper off of her. "I think the bell rang a few minutes ago. We'd better run."

School finished at the usual 3:20, detention finished at the usual 3:30 and that was exactly where Zidane and Dagger were, an extra ten minutes with Mrs Bat as their punishment for being ten minutes late for afternoon form room. Mrs Bat sat at her desk glaring at them as if daring them to speak. The minutes passed by very slowly and Zidane was struggling to stay awake.

Eventually she let them go and they made their way to the school entrance in silence before stopping and turning to look at each other.

"Well, I'll call you tonight, then" Zidane said, "If I can't go...I guess I'll see you Monday right?"

"If you can't go and I'm really lucky then yes I'll see you Monday. If you can't go and things go how I expect then I don't think I'll see you again." Dagger replied, looking at the floor.

"That wont happen." he said quietly.

"It's probable." she insisted. "We better go, Batty's glaring at us." She nodded to their form room window, Zidane turned to see Mrs Bat staring out at them.

"Yeah. Dagger I..." His speech faltered, he shrugged uncomfortably, before wrapping his arms round her, unwilling to admit that the action was for if he never saw her again.


	16. Meet'cha there!

_I updated the 16th chapter, and just to let you know am half way, 1/3 of the way through the next chapter, which will be added most probably after 16th December (The day I Break up from college) but until then I half piles of coursework to do._

_Thanks for reading and reviewing.

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"Yeah. Dagger I..." His speech faltered, he shrugged uncomfortably, before wrapping his arms round her, unwilling to admit that the action was for if he never saw her again.

Phone calls and promises.

Dagger sat in her room watching the clock. It read 19:37. When was Zidane going to call?

She glanced round the room, her bags were packed for the weekend and she pointedly refused to pack everything. She wasn't moving back to Alexandria. She couldn't, not with all the things she had gained by moving. Zidane, her friends, Jess...her mind wandered to her conversation earlier that day.

_Jess grabbed her hand and dragged her off in the direction of the girl's bathroom. They were hardly through the door when Jess turned to her and said, "So, explain."_

_"Explain what?" she asked, feeling she had missed something._

_"That whole scene the pair of you made in form."_

_Dagger blushed, "oh," she paused. "er, well, you see I was upset about something to do with my parents." she refused to go into detail, after all what was the point of worrying more people?_

_"I won't ask," Jess said not wanting to disrespect her privacy and wanting to keep a lighthearted feel to the conversation. "And that's all it was? You know, people are starting to believe something's going on between you."_

_"How many people?" Dagger asked hesitantly._

_"Our group of friends minus Martin who refuses to believe it. No one's quite sure of what's going on, whether it's being best friends or whatever."_

_Dagger nodded, relieved. She had been the main attention of rumors in her old school but at least this time it was far more pleasant. _

_Jess laughed, "You should have seen the look on Martin's face when he looked at you guys. It was hilarious. You know he has been glaring at Zidane all morning."_

_Jess went to open the door and rejoin the others who no doubt were in the cafeteria when she paused and turned back to the other teenager, "Are you sure there's nothing going on? You would tell me if any thing happened, wouldn't you?" She smiled, "Or rather, you will tell me when it happens, won't you?"_

Jess was impossible sometimes. Dagger sighed and glanced at the green digits, it read 19:59. She sat watching the clock and waiting for it to change to 18:00.

Then right as the digits changed over the phone rang making her jump what felt like a foot off her bed.

_Nice timing, Zidane._ She picked up the phone quickly so as to get it before her parents downstairs.

"Hello," she said and heard a cheery hello back from Zidane. "Hey Zidane, did you time that perfectly on purpose?"

"Huh, what? No, I just picked up the phone and... Yeah, I did. You know me to well."

Dagger laughed quietly, she sighed lightly, "So?"

"So, what?" Zidane replied, a teasing tone in his voice.

"Zidane! You are so infuriating. Just tell me your answer or I'll go with out you and not care if I never see you again."

"Fine." She heard a sulky reply back; there was in her opinion a hurt tone behind it. "I am allowed to go, but it took me forever to get them to agree. You know I don't have to go."

Dagger sighed, "Zidane, I was joking. Of course I would care if I didn't see you again. You're my best friend. Now stop being an idiot and tell me everything."

And so in the serious tone that Zidane could adopt so suddenly he said, "Well when I got home I was thinking about Midnight and well she always comes to greet me evryday after school. She'll be waiting for me by the door and well, I took her out of hearing range of my parents and asked her that if I were to be gone for a few days what would she do. er-"

"What did she say?" Dagger curiosity interupted him.

Zidane shyly replied, " Well she said that she would wait for me to come back and...well at least I now know that she knows I'll come back this time. Well anyway I then took her to the kitchen so that I could ask my parents, ready for them to say that I couldn't go. And...they said they didn't reckon it was a good idea, I disagreed and well they eventually got bored of me repeating myself, I suppose."

Dagger laughed, "Well, as long as you can come, we also need to write up what we found in Cleyra."

She could almost see Zidane frown as he said, "Nothing?"

"The dagger you idiot...So I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Er, yeah. Where do I meet'cha?"

"Oh, well. Erm, we leave by airship at 8:00 so I'd say at the docks by 7:30. Oh, and by the way we may have to get you aboard seperately from us, my parents they will probably try to stop you coming somehow."

"Alright, meet'cha there." With that he hung up.

Zidane hoisted his bag up over his head and headed off down the street. It was 7:00 in the morning and the streets were empty of life. He hurriedly made his way through the streets to the other side of the city, the residential palace where the airship docks coud be found. At this rate and pace he would be up to fifteen minutes early, but thinking it over he rather preferred being there early and seeing the Gilla family enter. He would then at least be given a heads up.

Arriving at the airship docks he wandered over to a pillar off to one side, out of the way and out of attention but with a clear view of the entrance. He leant against the pillar his eyes intent on the red carpeted entrance.

Dagger hurried up the steps leading to the airship docks. She wanted desperately to see if Zidane was there yet, and if necessary get him out of sight. Reaching the entrance she glanced round once, twice then a movement caught her eye. Looking to her left she saw Zidane leaning against the pillar waving his hand. She gestured at him to wait before turning to find her parents entering behind her.

"Dagger, dear, what on earth is the rush? The airship doesn't leave until 8:00. You are re-thinking, you have changed your mind about moving back to Alexandria." Her mother's sickly sweet voice said.

"No, Mother! For the last time I have no wish to move back to that...that place. It's absolutely dreadful there." Normally Dagger wouldn't have been so rude but she was vehement about moving back.

"Don't talk to your mother that way, Dagger! Huh...Dagger? What on earth did we give her a name like that for? Should have none the trouble it would have put her in, us in, we don't want to be caught up with that Zidane sort, nothing but trouble. No, we should have named her Sarah, something normal." Her father said.

"But I like my name, father." Dagger wasn't sure why but that had offended her, in a way it was the strongest connection she had to Lindblum, to her friends, to Zidane.

Zidane sighed he was finally safe aboard the airship, Dagger had made him agree not to "happen" across her for a good half hour into the journey. There was no need in raising her parents suspicions.


	17. Grandparents

_Dagger appeared at the door to the cabin he had been sitting in. He jumped up, grinning, "Finally, I was beginning to think I had boarded a cargo ship by accident!"_

Alexandria

"Be quiet, Zidane. You are far to hyperactive." Dagger said laughing.

"You can't blame me, I have hardly spoken to you, or anybody else all day. And the look on your parents faces when they saw me."he laughed.

"Yes, yes, it _was_ funny...look it's two o'clock, we'll be arriving in Alexandria soon, can you at least calm down until then...please?"

Zidane couldn't say no, she had said please so sweetly, _oh, what is this girl doing to me, _he groaned inwardly before sighing and placing his chin on his hand.

Dagger sighed, tilting her head to one side giving him a look that said what am I to do with you?

Zidane ran through the gateway onto the cobbled paths of Alexandria. He glanced up the long street before lifting his eyes higher up into the late afternoon sky to see the castle with its tall shiny sword. He spun around grinning to Dagger, who laughed at the look on his face as she walked towards him.

"Zidane, what do you think?" she asked upon reaching him.

"Er...oh, come on Dag, you know I'm no good with words. It's..."

"Dag?" Dagger questioned stifling a laugh.

"What? It's what everybody else calls you, I don't really like it to tell the truth. Dagger is perfect." Dagger smiled at him sweetly and after a few seconds Zidane had to look away.

"So...now what?" he glanced up at the weak sun reflected in Alexandria's sword.

"Well, if we run off now, I can show you around the city, if we don't, however, we'll have to go to my grandparents and wont be able to go out until tomorrow morning."

"And your parents...will they let me stay with you? I mean I can go to an Inn or something."

Dagger shook her head, "No, no, no. We'll give them no choice. They might not like you, or care for you what so ever but they aren't cruel. If we say you have no where to go, no money to buy a bed for the night they'll let you stay, no problem."

"Er, except for the fact we just randomly bumpt into each other, surely I would have worked that part out, come on Dagger, even i'm not that dum - Dagger?" Dagger had spun looking back the way they had come.

"My parents are coming, come on." She said before taking off up the street.

"So I'm guessing we're doing the running away?" He said to himself before running off after her.

Dagger ushered Zidane up the stairs of her grandparents house as quick as she dared, the less time they spent with him the better. She made her way down the corridor and opened the door to the guest room, her room when ever she stayed here. Realising Zidane was no longer behind her she turned and looked back along the landing, he was gazing at the wall that had an old photo in a cedar wood frame hung upon it. She watched as his eyes travelled to the next photo, it was newer and, as Dagger knew, was of her when she was five. Hurrying back down the landing she grabbed a hold of his hand and dragged him into her room, with him all the while saying the girl in the picture was adorable. (He of course, didn't know it was Dagger) She hurridly made her excuses to leave the room and told him not to move before making her way down the stairs into the front room where her family sat.

Just as she reached the door, her hand on the handle and just about to turn it she stopped. She leant forward, further towards the door.

"That boy, that she had with her, the one with the tail and the adorable cheeky smile, who is he?" an old woman's voice said.

"What do you mean "the one with the tail and the adorable cheeky smile" she only had one boy with her." came a familiar snappish reply that Dagger knew to belong to her mother.

"Now, now, Elenor. There's no need for that" granddad reprimanded her.

"What is his name?" Grandmother insisted.

"Zidane, Zidane Ryan, I believe." Answered Dagger's father, entering the conversation for the first time that evening.

"Yes, yes. Zidane, it fits. So has the girl finally got herself a boyfriend, and about time too. She chose well by the look of him, have to speak to him for a time first. Where is he to stay this evening? The sofa in Dagger's room." Granddad said.

"Wait, I thought you said she had no friends in Lindblum, that that was why you were bringing her back here? If she has friends let her stay. God knows this place as never been good for her." Grandmother said.

"He is not staying on her sofa, or even in the same room-!"Elenor argued, ignoring her mother completely.

Outside Dagger smiled and walked up the stairs, knowing full well that Grandmother never lost an argument especially with her daughter Elenor.

"Hey, your sleeping on the sofa, so off the bed now." Dagger said entering the room. Zidane obediantly got up, frowning in confusion. "They're letting me sleep in your room? How'd you manage that?"

"Actually it was my grandfather, my grandparents seem to have taken a liking to you. My parents disagree, as you know, they believe you're nothing but trouble, which of course you are. They want you to sleep in the street ...or at least down stairs."

Zidane laughed, "You're a little cranky when your tired, you know." He threw himself backwards onto the sofa immediately trying to get comfortable. Dagger sighed before chucking him an extra blanket and climbing into bed herself. Just as she felt herself dropping off to sleep Zidane asked, "How did you get them to believe I have no money? I mean I would hate for anyone to believe I'm _that_ dumb but I wouldn't want to get you into trouble for all the scheming we've done."

"I wouldn't exactly call it scheming. My mother schems. I just told them you got mugged when I was showing you around the city this afternoon. It's perfectly believable. People get mugged in Alexandria all the time. It's a rough city."

"Oh, okay. As long as they believed you" Zidane muttered back, falling fast into the realm of dreams, "Night Dagger." It came out barely audible and he was asleep before he could hear Dagger's reply. "Night Zidane."

Dagger sighed, they were arguing again. This time it was over whether Dagger was allowed to spend her day with Zidane or not. Her family never changed. She stood up, grabbed Zidane's hand and pulled him out of the kitchen into the hallway. He came rather reluctantly for he had been caught up in the "discussion" (as her father always put it) between her family members.

"Come on, we're going. They wont miss us."

"Where are we going?" Zidane asked as he was pulled up the hallway and out the front door. It still came as a shock to him, walking out a front door straight ontbo a road, in Lindblum there wasn't one house that didn't have a front garden.

"I don't know. Where do you want to go? Something about a photo right?"

"Er, yeah. I suppose we could do that now. Er, that's if you want to?"

"Of course, why wouldn't I?" She asked dropping his hand now that she was positive he wouldn't turn around and go back home, which when she turned around she found already fifty metres down the street. She turned to face him.

"Well, it's just that all we've been doing lately revolves around this project. We have a whole year to complete it, I know it's really big and we'll have to work hard but we should take time off and do other things too. You know, be teenagers."

Dagger looked up at him, thinking. Then suddenly she smiled, "Let's do that something about a photo then we get time to be teenagers, okay?"

Zidane nodded and they begen their way across the city.

* * *

Okay, I don't really like this chapter all that much myself but would like to hear what you think anyway. I've re-written this chapter three times each a tiny little bit better than the one before but...Anyway there is most probably spelling mistakes as I didn't write this in Word like I usually do. Please review, I love reading them.


	18. The Photo

Thanks for reading this story you guys :) you are the best!

Disclaimer: since I haven't done one in a while, I don't own final fantasy IX or anything related to it._

* * *

Dagger looked up at him, thinking. Then suddenly she smiled, "Let's do that something about a photo then we get time to be teenagers, okay?"_

_Zidane nodded and they begen their way across the city. _

The Photo

"So, what is it about a photo?" Dagger asked.

"Well, Rose went on holiday to Alexandria during the summer, she said she went to the public part of the royal palace. She said something about them having the portraits of all the past queens and kings in one long corridor and I wanted to see the portraits for myself, and hopefully take another photo," He replyed. "Rose has never been very good at photography, the photo is half obscured by her thumb."

Dagger laughed, she couldn't believe it there was actually someone in the world who was worse at taking pictures than herself. She shook her head bringing her mind back to the task at hand.

"I went to the palace on a school trip when I was eight, it is brilliant walking round a place of such wealth. But I never went down the portrait corridor, you see we were allowed to wander round on our own and most of the class had headed in that direction."

"So, why couldn't you?"

"I tended to stay as far away from the other class members as I could, when I could. They weren't that nice a bunch of people. Mind you I did go to the roughest school in the city."

"What there's more than one secondary school in Alexandria?"

"Yeah, the schools here are a lot, lot smaller than Lindblum High. I think it has something to do with how difficult it is to control the kids here. There are a total of four Secondary schools and eight primary schools in the whole city."

"Wow. This place must be bigger than I thought."

They continued the rest of the way in a comfortable silence before Zidane said, "So you've never had a friend in your life? I find that hard to believe, I mean I know I haven't known you long, two weeks, but you're the nicest person I've ever met. How could people hate you? Everybody at Lindblum loves you."

"They do? I knew they thought I was okay, but...Anyway, I did have a friend once, she was my best friend when I was five and at Infants school. She had flaming bright red hair and hazel eyes, I think, I can't remember too well. But I know her name was Kirsty, Kirsty Coral."

"What happened to her?" Zidane asked cautiously.

"Er, she was seriously ill, you wouldn't think it if you met her, but she was. Her cheerfulness was a shield I guess. But...she died of a brain tumour she was born with."

"Oh… I'm sorry." Zidane said, he wanted to say something more meaningful but nothing came to him.

* * *

They wandered into the entrance hall after Dagger paid the guard the entrance fee. Zidane stared at the high ceilings and rich red carpets, "I'd love to live here. This is what I should have been born as, a king!"

"A little ambitious aren't you. Would you seriously be able to run a country, fight a war, stop a war." Dagger laughed.

"Sod politics, just give me the palace."

She laughed again and pulled him by the hand towards a huge open doorway to the right of the entrance, the portrait hallway. Bright sunlight streamed in through the large glass windows making the corridor pleasantly warm. The red carpet shone brightly, making the place seem even richer than it had previously.

Walking casually down the hallway, Dagger still pulling Zidane along, their eyes moved from one portrait to the next, starting with the present King and his new Queen and quickly followed by the previous Kings and Queens of Alexandria.

"Wow, there's been a lot of Kings and Queens of Alexandria, did they all die at early ages or something?" Zidane asked incredulously.

"No, these have all reigned over a period of 500 years, remember. Besides I think I read somewhere that the Alexandrous and Tribal royal family abdicated about 350 years ago and ever since then the kings and queens who have replaced them have been threatened by assassination. Actually, halve of them _were_ assassinated."

"What! Who by?"

"Well, no one knows. People believed it to be descendants of the Alexandrous and Tribal line, that they wanted the throne back. But they couldn't prosecute a descendant of a royal line."

"What? But you can pr-"

"You can now, but that law didn't come into place until 250 years ago." She said patiently, well if you can call cutting in front of him patient.

"Wow." Was all she got in reply, she turned to face him to find him looking at her appreciatively. "You really know your history."

"Yeah, it was made compulsory learning in Alexandrian schools. It can be rather interesting at times, I guess."

Zidane frowned, "History's compulsory everywhere."

Dagger laughed slightly, "No, no. I mean Alexandrian history, learning the royal lines and everything."

"Oh"

They reached the end of the corridor where stood another open doorway leading into another huge hall filled with bright sunlight. And on the wall, opposite the windows were two large paintings…

* * *

They entered Dagger's room, tired yet elated. Zidane wandered over to the bed before collapsing onto it and falling fast asleep before Dagger could protest. She sighed, before reaching into her pocket to look at the photographs. One was of the first portrait, showing the Queen and King together. Garnet looking completely content, her hair tied back behind her in complete contrast of colour against her white dress. Zidane on the other hand looked slightly uncomfortable, like he really didn't want to be standing in front of a painter at that moment. She could almost see his tail waving agitatedly like her Zidane's did. She remembered thinking back when she first met him that he looked a lot like the King but now looking from the photo to the boy fast asleep on her bed she could see there were similarities, but her Zidane was much cuter, she thought with a smile.

The second showed a family, a happy family. Zidane and Garnet standing at the back with three children huddled in front of them, Zidane had an arm wrapped round his wife and a hand on his eldest son's shoulder who came up to his waist. Dagger noticed that the King looked far more familiar with this procedure, which led her to wonder if there were more portraits around the world of the couple and their family.

Looking at the next photograph she couldn't help but laugh. They had wasted the film in the camera so that they could get them printed as soon as possible. How they had managed to use up a whole camera film on photographs of three portraits and themselves she had no idea. Looking through the pile she had come across the other portrait.

The painting was strange; it wasn't kept with all the other Kings and Queens but with the nobility paintings in one of the lesser halls. But it clearly said on the gold plaque on the wooden frame, Queen Brahne, mother of princess Garnet. All right, admittedly she wasn't something you wished to look at, she looked rather ill actually, but she was still a Queen. The background of the picture caught her eye, all portraits of the royal family were made in the palace but it looked nothing like the castle she saw today and when she compared it to Garnet and Zidane's she saw that it was the same case with them. _"Does this mean Alexandria castle was destroyed after Queen Brahne's reign but before Queen Garnet's, or …what?" _She sighed and just when she put the photos down something caught her eye, Queen Brahne's portrait. In the background off to one side there was a group of people who were also painted in when they were watching. Two soldiers, one with incredibly rusty armour and the other, the woman, held a sword at her side. There was a third there two, a man with long white hair…

Dagger rubbed at her eyes tiredly before walking over to the sofa and falling asleep.


	19. Zidane!

_Sorry it's so short but enjoy anyway, thanks for your reviews.

* * *

She sighed and just when she put the photos down something caught her eye, Queen Brahne's portrait. In the background off to one side there was a group of people who were also painted in when they were watching. Two soldiers, one with incredibly rusty armour and the other, the woman, held a sword at her side. There was a third there too, a man with long white hair…_

_Dagger rubbed at her eyes tiredly before walking over to the sofa and falling asleep.

* * *

_

Zidane!

"Zidane! Zidane! Wake up all ready!" Dagger said shaking him, "Please."

The door swung open and Dagger's mother marched in, "Get that boy out of bed if we don't leave now you'll be late for school. It's bad enough you're going back to that awful city, we don't need you being kicked out of school as well." She turned ready to storm back out again when what she just saw registered in her head, "What exactly is that boy doing in your bed?"

"Er he fell asleep when we were talking last night so I slept on the sofa." Dagger replied hesitantly.

Dagger's mother's jaw tightened and eyes narrowed before storming out of the room.

Dagger had never understood why her parents were like that; they were always really nice to her apart from all their rules and when she crossed one wittingly or not.

Sighing she grasped hold of a half full glass of water and emptied it out over the sleeping teenager.

* * *

Linblum, she loved it. It was her home, now and forever she hoped. Her parents had gone home, back to Alexandria as soon as they saw both her and Zidane to School Tuesday morning. Dagger laughed at the memory, they had dragged her to Zidane's house early that morning to make sure he was ready to get to school. They said that everyone Dagger was closely associated with had to be well behaved.

They had arrived back in Lindblum around mid morning on Monday and spent the day wandering around the city talking. It had been late when they finally said goodnight outside Dagger's house, her parents watching through the curtains, which made it rather strained and uncomfortable.

Dagger shook her head as she closed her locker door and made her way to form, taking her seat next to Zidane unable to stop the grin on her face from forming. She was free; she no longer had to abide by rules that stopped her being her.

* * *

"Thank God for teacher-training days! I never thought I would finish that Maths assignment." Martin said. The group of them were huddled round their lockers waiting for the bell to ring signalling third period.

"Maths assignment?" Zidane asked, warily. The group minus him and Dagger laughed.

"I take it you didn't do it Zidane." Marcus said as the bell rang. They began their way back to class.

"Don't worry Zidane, I'll help you at lunch, you'll be fine." Dagger assured him.

"That's great!" he replied with a grin, "but I'm a little worried my memory's going. Surely I'd remember something that devastating?"

Dagger laughed, "I'm sure you're fine, it depends on what day you received it."

"Right, and which day was it exactly?" Zidane asked as they entered History and took their seats at the back of the classroom.

Dagger shrugged and pulled her notebooks out of her bag, "Come on, forget about that for now. We really have to write up Cleyra, Linblum and Alexandria before we forget it all."

"I can understand writing up Cleyra and Alexandria but why Linblum, we didn't actually do anything, we just sat in the park?"

"Oh, yeah right. Well we have to do Lindblum then and not sit in the park this time."

Zidane looked rather disappointed by this, she noticed. He did seem to like sitting on the swings talking that was how they spent most of Monday.

Placing her pen onto the paper she began to recount the events at Cleyra and their findings with Zidane's help, who was leaning towards her so he could see her writing, their shoulders leaning against each other.


	20. Dagger's

_20th! wow I haven't written nearly as much ais hoped i would have by this point, I should start writing longer chapters. Do I get more reviews since its the 20th. Please review!

* * *

Placing her pen onto the paper she began to recount the events at Cleyra and their findings with Zidane's help, who was leaning towards her so he could see her writing, their shoulders leaning against each other.

* * *

_

Free To Do What Ever I Wish

Zidane was bored, very bored. He was stuck in maths and only vaguely paying attention to what his teacher was saying. Her voice was going in one ear and out the other and although odd bits of information were actually entering his brain, they made no sense.

His mind however was else where and so therefore didn't know that none of it was making sense. He wanted to be out of the classroom, it was the last lesson of the day and everyone was itching to get home. Well everyone except Zidane who wasn't going home, he was going round Dagger's since her parents had left for Alexandria that morning, to help her, hang out and if they got around to it doing some of the project. I still haven't seen those photos he thought absentmindedly.

The bell rang making him jump. Clutching his chest inconspicuously. Having tried to put away books he found he hadn't got out of his bag he stood and left the room ahead of everyone else.

Leaning against the pillar near to the entrance of Daggers classroom he closed his eyes.

"Zidane!" His eyes shot open. Dagger stood in front of him looking at him worriedly. "Are you okay? I've been calling your name for ages. Everyone else has left. Do you want to go home?"

He stood up straight, wiping his hand across his eyes. "No, I'm alright just tired. Come on then." He began a brisk walk down the corridor.

Dagger hurried to catch up with him, "Are you sure you don't want to go home, you can come round mine another time. I'm sure I can cope on my own."

He spun to look at her, smiling exasperatedly. "I'm fine, Dagger stop worrying. Your as bad as my father."

"Your father?" Dagger asked as they continued walking. "Isn't the saying 'my mother'?"

"Well yeah but my father worries far more than mother does about me. 'spect she thinks I can take care of myself." He turned his head to look at her, "you don't?"

Dagger grabbed hold of his arm pulling him to one side laughing, "Not when you're not watching where you are going. You almost walked straight into that door. You do know that you have to pull those open?"

She pushed him through the open doorway. Zidane laughed before claiming it was her fault. They exited the school and headed off across Linblum to Dagger's.

* * *

"Really you've been absent minded all day." Dagger said as she picked his coat up and hung it on the banister. Zidane ignored her as he looked through the pile of photos that had been taken a few days before. To be honest he couldn't remember taking half of them, they weren't of anything in particular (except for the portraits) either just either one of them as they wandered through the city.

He came to the photograph that he reckoned was of a kind of green, blue hippo but under close inspection he realised it to be Queen Brahne when he saw her name written on the gold plaque. _How on earth did she end up having a kid that looked like that?_ He thought as he glanced to the portrait of Garnet. _Maybe she got all her father's genes._

His eyes caught on something in Queen Brahne's portrait, "Hey, Dagger!" Dagger appeared at the doorway looking patient. "How come there's people standing in the back of this portrait?"

Dagger frowned and walked forward to glance at the photograph over his shoulder. "I don't know, I noticed that. I just thought the artist painted in the people who were watching him paint the queen. I don't know, maybe he appreciated them watching him and decided to paint them in."

Zidane glanced at her, "Mmm, if you say so. You know it's tradition not to have anyone else in the portrait, otherwise it undermines the Queens importance so maybe he just held a grudge against her?"

Dagger hit him on the head, "Why ask my opinion when yours is better?" before disappearing out the room.

* * *

Zidane sat at the dining room table staring at the photograph, he recognised that man. Well no he didn't exactly recognise him, he had read a written description that fit him perfectly. _The silver haired man with a tail, said to have ridden a white dragon across the skies of Burmecia and…_ and that was all he could remember and for the life of him he couldn't remember where he had read it. It had been many years ago, he was sure of that.

Dagger dropped a book onto the table causing Zidane to snap his head up then wince. He looked at, annoyed "What?"

"Well," she said sitting down opposite him, "You said you were coming round here to first help me out then hang out and if we had time do the project. Right?"

Zidane grimaced and reluctantly nodded.

"And so far you have done…? The hanging out, right? While I was tidying?" She laughed, "Your such a boy! Anyway we might as well do the project then. So lets think –"

"What do we know?" Zidane interjected, Dagger looked up at him surprised. "How did you know I was going to say that?"

Zidane shook his head, "I didn't."

"Well, anyway"

"We know Lindblum, Alexandria and Burmecia were all destroyed around the same time and rebuilt. Cleyra was destroyed and never rebuilt. Er…there was the dagger with Tantalus engraved into the hilt but a treasure hunter probably lost that over the years that that place has been looted. Er…there's the portraits. Queen Brahne's especially." _And that writing about a silver haired man, where did I read that? It's so annoying!_

"Right! We should probably check out Treno and Dali. After all in some of the stories Zidane was suspected to have been a noble man and so it's natural to go to Treno."

"But Dali? No nobleman's going to go and sit in a farm village."

"No, but a thief might if he was hiding, right?"

Zidane smiled.


	21. Complicating Things

Hey, i might add something to the end of this one or it might be the beginning of the next. it depends if it fits in with the next chapter. Anyway thank you all for reading and sometimes reviewing i really appreciate it.

* * *

"_But Dali? No nobleman's going to go and sit in a farm village."_

"_No, but a thief might if he was hiding, right?"_

_Zidane smiled._

Alias 

"A thief might if he were hiding. But why would he be hiding? He didn't actually steal the crown did he? He got distracted by the beautiful princess, like any man would in his place. So what was he hiding from?" Zidane asked, watching Dagger intently, having a strong belief that she had answer.

She smiled, she did have an answer, "No, he didn't run off with the crown," she laughed, "He ran off with the princess, and where better to go than a small farm village such as Dali?" She paused thoughtfully before saying, more to herself than him, "There would have been people sent out after them to bring them back to Alexandria. Where Garnet would have resumed her place as heir to the throne and Zidane would have been hung for "kidnapping" the princess."

Zidane nodded to himself, "They couldn't have got caught then. There's no way Zidane could have become king if he was hung from the rafters."

Dagger rolled her eyes, she felt what he had just stated went without saying and contemplated on how the boy opposite her could be so incredibly smart one hour and the next be a complete simpleton. "Right. So princess Garnet was absent from her kingdom for a period of time, maybe a month, more or less."

"But she was protected by her alias, Dagger." He smiled, "I wonder who came up with that name. Was it specifically chosen or completely random? Why would a princess, one as beautiful and as elegant as that want to be named after a weapon? A weapon that is most usually used to kill people slowly."

"You mean a thief's weapon?" she asked, "A dagger like this?" She placed the dagger engraved with the word Tantalus on to the table.

"…Like that," Zidane replied slowly, then after a few seconds and at a much faster speed, "Hey, maybe she got her name from the thief's dagger. Then that implies the thief story is true…but nobles carry daggers too don't they? When they are in cities at least."

"Yeah. But it's something to think about at least." Dagger yawned.

Zidane placed his hands flat on the table, pushing himself up, "Well I'd better be going home. You're obviously tired and would be wanting to go to bed."

She stood also, "You really don't have to go," she followed him down the hallway, watching him pick up his bag once he had donned his coat. He turned to her, smiling. Looking down at her he said, "You're tired, I wouldn't want to intrude on your beauty sleep time. You're going to bed. I'll see you tomorrow." He leant down and kissed her lightly on the cheek, "Night."

Dagger watched him open the door and disappear outside, vaguely aware of her replying a soft "Night". She shook her head and disappeared up the stairs to bed.

Zidane walked down his garden path, wondering what on earth made him do that. What was he thinking? He opened his front door lost in his thoughts.

"Zidane, lad, is that you?" his father's voice broke him out of his thoughts. Zidane turned towards it and found himself entering the living room. "Been round a friends house?" his father asked.

"Zidane, dear, are you okay? You're bright red."

Zidane swallowed, _I am? Great, Dagger better not have seen that. _"I'm, er, fine. I…think I'm going to go to bed. I'm rather tired."

He left the room after hearing his parents' good nights and climbed the stairs as fast as he was able in his tired state. After a short detour to the bathroom he sat down on his bed, turning a lamp on his bedside table on and the main light off. He sat thinking for a long time until his eyes drifted to his black leather bound journal. Did he always leave it out so openly like that? What if Dagger saw it? Then again he figured it might make things easier for him.

He sighed; leaning back on his bed and closing his eyes he fell asleep…


	22. Unwelcome dreams and lunch plans

Hey readers and reviewers, i've finished my AS exams and i'm now on a fourteen week break so i should get some more of this story done although i do have to go on holiday. I wrote an extra long one because ofhow long it takes me to update with college work, well that and i've been watching_all_ the world cup matchsand need somethingelse to do at the same time...so enjoy and tell me what you think since there are a few points i'm not that sure of. All sweets minus burmecian chocolate, cleyra's secrets and Treno dark nights are real. The others are based on real sweets.

To the story..._

* * *

_

_He sat thinking for a long time until his eyes drifted to his black leather bound journal. Did he always leave it out so openly like that? What if Dagger saw it? Then again he figured it might make things easier for him. _

_He sighed; leaning back on his bed and closing his eyes he fell asleep…

* * *

**Another School Day**_

Zidane awoke abruptly. _No, no, no! _He thought franticly. He shook his head fiercely, trying to rid himself of the image. He was not meant to dream of her like _that!_ He wasn't meant to dream of her at all.

He climbed out of bed; there was no way he was going back to sleep. He'd never be able to face Dagger if he went and had another dream, one he believed he could deal with. He walked out the room and down the hallway to the bathroom figuring that as long as he kept busy he could forget that it had ever happened.

Half an hour later he reappeared in his bedroom, running a hand through his wet hair. He dressed, taking far more time to do so than he ever had before seeing as usually he was in a rush in the mornings but today he had time to kill. Glancing at the clock, he sighed, he was still up far earlier than he was usually.

He made his way down the stairs and into the kitchen, tapping his fingers on the wooden tabletop as he glanced round for something to do. He brewed the tea and heated the milk for his cereal, another five minutes had gone by the time he sat down, but it was just that five minutes. Taking a seat at the table, he ate his breakfast calmly and not at all in the wolfish manner he was accustomed to. He had barely finished when he heard the fifth stair creak as someone made his or her way down into the hallway.

"Zidane, dear?" His mother said from her place at the kitchen doorway, she sounded very surprised and Zidane supposed she had reason to; he was usually a nightmare to get up in the mornings.

Zidane glanced up from where he stood at the sink washing out is bowl. "Morning, mum." he yawned.

She made her way across the kitchen towards him, "Are you feeling okay? You're up awfully early this morning."

"Yeah, I'm fine." He replied, walking back over to the table and shoving his maths textbook into his bag. _Damn! I have maths tutoring today._ "I woke up early, couldn't sleep…"

His mother continued to look at him, slightly sceptically. He sighed, "I'm going to grab my things and head off to school." He left the kitchen after kissing his mum goodbye and made his way out the front door.

Walking down the street and through the market square he glanced at his watch, it read 7:25. He still had an hour and fifteen minutes until school started.

Deciding it was better than hanging around outside the school he headed off to the main shopping plaza in the city. With no clear destination in mind he wandered aimlessly through the shops. After a time he tired of it and decided to go knock for Dagger. He walked through a shop planning on taking the back entrance when something on a nearby shelf caught his eye, Burmecian chocolate. But even as he was walking towards that another object came to his attention. A leather bracelet, light brown in colour. Split into tails that were twisted together at each end. The word "Dagger" burned into the solid centre. Curiosity pulled him over to examine it. He saw the words Garnet Sarah Alexandrous emblazoned on the back. On either side of the alias there were hand painted pictures. A jewel, a pendant of some kind that shone bright white and a dagger, simple and plainly not for decoration.

He left the shop with both items stowed away in their paper bag in between his books. As he walked the streets to Dagger's house, he came to the decision that the bracelet was to be a birthday present for either Midnight or Dagger, depending on who's birthday arrived first and either way he got to look at it whenever he wished. He wondered what the jewel was, he couldn't recall ever reading about it.

He knocked lightly on the front door of Dagger's house. After a while she answered, still dressed in her dressing gown.

"Oh, hi Dagger," he said uncomfortably, "sorry. Guess I shouldn't have come over so early."

"Zidane," she said cheerfully, "What are you doing here? You're not usually even up at this time." She said glancing at the clock in her hallway as she moved to one side, allowing him in.

"I woke up early." He frowned, "how did you know I'm not usually up at this time?"

Dagger laughed, "You mean besides going to Cleyra and Alexandria where I had to shake you awake in the morning? Your mum told me, she tells me a lot about you, you know."

"Like what?" he asked suspiciously. "When does she get a chance to talk to you?"

"In the mornings when you're running around like crazy to get ready on time for school. I need to go get dressed or we're not going to be on time today." She told him as she started her way up the stairs.

Zidane made his way into the front room and sat down in one of the white leather armchairs. What had his mum told her? And so he sat trying to think of anything his mum might tell Dagger that he would consider incriminating until the other teenager appeared at the doorway.

"Well, shall we go?" She asked gesturing to the door. Zidane stood and together they made their way out onto the streets of Lindblum.

* * *

The noise level in the classroom rose as Mrs Bat finished the register. Zidane, who had been on the verge of falling asleep, shook his head to clear it and grabbed his diary for want of something to keep him awake.

" Dagger?"

"Hmmm?" she asked as she wrote on a piece of paper addressed to Jess.

"When's your birthday?" he asked, leaning over inconspicuously to read the note she was writing, well actually judging by the length he would say it was more a letter as it was equivalent in size to the ones his parents received once a year from his aunt Ethereal, who lived with his uncle Zeal and their kids in a town called Black Mage village.

She glanced up and he swiftly moved his eyes away from her writing, "Why?"

He waved his diary at her; he had already copied everybody else's birthdays into it from his previous school diary.

"Oh," she said as she passed her note forward to Jess, "October the twentieth." She watched him flip through the pages before writing "Dagger's birthday" in bold letters.

"Can I borrow that?"

"Yeah sure," Zidane said passing it to her. He glanced over to Jess who was still reading the letter, it was five double-sided pages and Dagger's handwriting was fairly small. She laughed and Sam leant over from his seat across the aisle from her to peer over her shoulder. She hid the writing from view under a teen magazine and pushed Sam away, grinning.

Zidane sighed and turned to stare out the window.

Meanwhile Dagger flipped through the pages and one by one copied her friends' birthdays into her diary. She came across Zidane's fairly early on; his was the twenty-third of November. _That would make him a Sagittarius, I think_. She had never been interested in astrology and didn't in the slightest believe in it, but now she felt curious about what it said they should be like.

"You're a Sagittarius?"

Zidane jumped before turning to her "Sorry?"

"Your star sign, is it Sagittarius?"

He thought for a long moment before slowly saying, "I honestly have no idea."

Dagger sighed, "hey Jess can I borrow that?" She pointed to the magazine that lay abandoned on the desk now that the other teen had continued her reading. Jess passed it back over her head without turning round.

"Thanks." Dagger flipped through the pages before stopping to read. _Yep Sagittarius_. "Hey, Ziddy, are you coming to the burger bar at lunch?" Martin asked. Zidane looked up to see the guys walking over. "I can't," he replied, "and don't call me Ziddy."

"Oh come on Zid, you said you would come with us when it reopened, will always all go together." Sam said.

"You mean you guys always all go together and leave us girls back here with no clue as to where you are." Rose interrupted.

"Well yeah." Marcus said shrugging, "It's guy time."

"Right, and therefore it wouldn't be the same without Zid. So you sure you're not coming? I mean you can bring Dagger if that's why you're staying" Martin asked

"She's no guy, what happened to guy time?" Rose laughed.

"I'm staying, I have maths tutoring, remember?" Zidane said interrupting the friendly argument he knew was forming slowly.

"Oh, you can go Zidane, we can just change it to tomorrow instead."

Marcus frowned, "She's your maths tutor?"

"How many times do you need to be told that?" Amillia asked as she stood from her seat and passed by the group to take a seat next to Jess.

Zidane ignored them, "But we have maths after break tomorrow and if I don't do it today-"

Sam looked up, "We're starting a new topic tomorrow, Zidane. None of us will know anything. Mr or Mrs Holsdale can't be too hard on you then."

Zidane sighed, that was another thing he hated about maths, he never knew if it was Mr or Mrs Holsdale that would be taking each class. Mrs Holsdale was their real teacher whereas Mr Holsdale, her husband substituted for her as she was often in and out of hospital for a mystery cause, rumour had it, however, that they had tried and failed to have children for the last five years. It made Zidane feel sorry for them but as soon as he stepped into their classroom it disappeared when their apparent hatred of him made a show. "Alright, I'm in."

The guys cheered loudly, earning a glare from Mrs Bat, and the girls smiled at them as they would at a four-year-old chasing bubbles. The bell rang and they all left the room talking animatedly.

"Hey, Dagger," Jess called, as the girls all hurried to catch up with her, "since we're loosing the guys at lunch we're going into town too. Oh, and I haven't quite finished that note yet but I should in the next…"

Zidane shook his head disappointedly; the girls had travelled out of hearing range. _What on earth is in that letter?_ He asked himself as he travelled the halls to History with the other guys.

* * *

It was a good twenty minutes into the lesson when Zidane, who was writing about the portraits, recalled the bracelet he had found this morning.

"Hey Dagger, do you know if there is a jewel associated with the Queen Garnet?"

She looked up from her work, "A jewel? What?"

"Bright, white, I think."

"Bright…white…" she repeated to herself, thinking, "You mean the royal pendant?" she asked eventually.

"It could be that."

"Well that was supposedly stolen after both she and King Zidane returned to Alexandria, before they were married I think. It was a family heirloom of the royal family…I read it somewhere, not long ago. Although I had never heard of it before then and they only mentioned it in passing. I think it was a book back at my grandparents on the general history of the royal families that have occupied the throne of Alexandria." She said her eyes focused on her writing. She looked up, "Why? What did you hear about it?"

"Nothing, I just saw a something that connected both a dagger and the pendant to the alias Dagger, it also had Garnet Sarah Alexandrous. Do you think Sarah was her real middle name?"

"Probably, they wouldn't write it if they didn't know what her middle name was. Where did they get their evidence is what I want to know? There might be something else there." She shook her head, "Come on lets keep working, everyone else has done so much more work on their projects than us. Emma said she and Sam are going to Treno next weekend, and then when they finish writing it up they have only the artwork left to do. Amillia and Alex have theirs all planned and Jess has her partner back and so should be getting a load done now as well."

"Emma might say they are nearly finished but she also says she can pass her pilot test without taking a lesson and trust me she's a bad pilot. Sam will take months to get his art how he wants it, he's a perfectionist when it comes to that. Amillia and Alex haven't actually written a word, knowing them when they say they have it all planned out they mean its all in their heads, they still have to write it and hand it to a teacher. And as for Jess, well…she is a hard worker and her partner really isn't, so she might be hindered more than helped but her partner returning from sickness. Dagger, don't worry."

Dagger stared at him, "Thanks. I didn't know you could be so logical." He gave her an offended look. "Who is Jess' partner?"

"A girl named Luna," he replied, "she's in our history class" he glanced round the room but Jess and her partner must have left to find a computer somewhere. "And my maths and English…and a few others."

Dagger frowned, she couldn't place the name, until, "Is she the one with a twin?"

"Brother, yeah. Lives next door to Marcus actually."

Jess and Luna entered the room, replacing the folders into the cabinet on their way to their seats.

* * *

The bell rang and Mrs Baker said, "Please remember to replace the folders where you found them, I'll kill the next person who leaves one out on the desk. That means you too Mr Ryan." Zidane walked backwards to the desk to retrieve the folder, which he replaced into the cabinet on his way out the door. "Thank you, Zidane."

He grinned at her before running down the corridor to catch up with his friends, "What do we have? Em?"

"No idea," Emma said, "Ami?"

"Me neither," Amillia replied, "Sam?"

"Er, was it…" Sam said, "No I don't know, Jess?"

"For god sake, the lot of you are hopeless, we have English." Jess replied laughing.

"Mr Crescent it is," Zidane said. They left the humanities corridor and continued on their way to English.

The bell rang, the whole class jumped including the teacher. They had all been working quietly, heads bent together as they talked in their groups. The lesson had flown by, the bell coming as quite a shock.

"Well, I'll see you all second to last tomorrow. Now off to break, the lot of you."

The group of friends disengaged themselves from the crowd and exited the building.

Dagger watched confused as the girls started to hand money to the boys. Marcus and Martin headed off back into the building with Emma's and Amillia's and Alex and Sam headed to the next building with Jess' and Rose's.

Zidane turned to Dagger, "Do you want anything?"

"Huh? What's going on?"

"Oh right." He said, "Well we have defence next and it's a tradition to stock up on sweets in break when it's between break and lunch so we have the energy to last all lesson. The guys have just gone to the vending machines for the girls since the crowds inside at break are kinda overwhelming. So do you want anything?"

"Sure I guess, I don't know what." She replied handing him thirty gil as she thought how sweet it was of the guys to go in for the girls.

"That's ok, I'll pick the most popular ones and then you're most likely to like them. See you in a minute." He said before taking off for the defence block at a run.

"So who's idea was it for the guys to go in for the girls?" Dagger asked.

"Oh, that would be Zidane, he used to go in fro Jess 'cos she used to have a fear of crowds and the guys copied, they hate to be out done." Rose said.

"Yeah, and I got over that fear a year ago but that carry on the gentlemanly tradition because Zidane and Alex insisted it wasn't right to send us in for them like Marcus wanted." Jess said.

"They said that too many fights break out at break time near the vending machines where people are pushing passed others. Knowing Marcus and Martin they're the ones who start it." Amillia laughed.

Within minutes Marcus and Martin were back, handing handfuls of sweets to Emma and Amillia before taking their own from their pockets to eat. Emma and Amillia shoved their spare sweets in their trouser or bag pockets as they began eating.

Zidane was back next followed closely by Sam and Alex.

"Thanks a lot Zidane." Dagger said taking her sweets from him. Looking down at the brightly coloured packets she found he had managed to buy ten sweets, making them three gill each, that was better than she had ever done. He had come back with Burmecian chocolate, white and black, Secrets of Cleyra, which she had had once back in Alexandria, Atomic fireballs, which she felt rather wary of since the name was meant to imply they're hot, love hearts, which Zidane said every girl loves, Cinnamon drops, which she hadn't had in years since they had been banned in Alexandria for some reason unknown to her, Treno Dark Nights, which Dagger had never heard of and according to the packet was mint chocolate, sour apples, bright green in colour, sour cherries, dark red in colour and the traditional sherbet fruits.

"Hey, Dagger got sherbet fruits, they're my favourite. Why didn't you get me any Martin," Amillia said turning on him.

He held up his hands, "Sorry, they'd run out. You know they're the most popular."

Amillia laughed, "I was kidding, you idiot." She said and hugged him by way of apology.

"Come on people, we might as well start making our way to defence, we have four minutes until lesson starts." Jess said as she tore open her own packet of love hearts at the bottom, as was her tradition. She then offered them round to the others face down so that they didn't know what they were getting.

"Four minutes? We'd better start eating more then." Alex replied as though he hadn't already finished his. He took his heart from Jess, "Be mine," he read aloud, "Only to willingly my dear Jess." He added before playfully trying to grab a hold of her as she dodged this way and that to keep him away, the others laughed.

* * *

"To the showers!" The defence instructor yelled across the field.

Jess and Dagger dropped their arms, blunt weapons still in their hands from their duel. "Thank god for that!" Jess gasped, "Didn't think I could take much more of that."

"Me neither." Dagger replied as they dropped their weapons into the weapon bin at the side of the field and joined the others on their way back to the locker rooms and showers.

Ten minutes later they emerged from the building, soaking wet. The bell had rung not a minute before hand.

"Well, we'll see you girls in form then," Zidane said.

"Yeah have fun in town," Martin added as the group began to split up, the guys going off ahead.

"Right come on, let's go," Jess said. Amillia, Rose and Emma took the lead but Jess hung back and came to walk beside Dagger, "So about that letter-"

"Jess, Dagger come on," Rose said motioning for them to come join them.

"Write whatever it is down when we're in form and science and had it to me the next chance you get" Dagger suggested before they joined the others.

* * *


	23. Lunch

This is like the last chapter, it's just to show they are still teenagers but like the last chapter i'm not completely happy with it. Thanks for reading and reviewing._

* * *

"Write whatever it is down when we're in form and science and had it to me the next chance you get" Dagger suggested before they joined the others.

* * *

_Lunch

"I'm exhausted," Martin complained, "I hate being paired with you, Zidane, you never go easy on us."

Zidane gave him an incredulous look; "I was going easy on you."

Martin frowned annoyed, "Well, I didn't ask you to." The others laughed making Martin frown more. Zidane shook his head, "Come on, if we can get there without fighting I'll buy everyone doughnuts." Alex clapped him on the back in a gesture of thanks. Zidane sighed, it worked every time. Turning his head to glance behind them he could see the girls walking down the street about fifty metres back in a tight cluster, they would soon be turning off towards the shops if he knew Jess.

Jess gripped Dagger's hand, pulling her sideways into a shop causing her to loose her balance. The other girls followed more gracefully.

"So anyway, Dagger," Amillia said as Dagger righted herself, "What's it like having a house to your self?"

"Well, I don't actually know yet." Dagger frowned thoughtfully, "My parents only left yesterday morning and I was at school all day, then Zidane came home with me and didn't leave until I went to bed last night. And as for this morning I had only been up for half hour when Zidane was knocking at the door. So I haven't really been in the house on my own yet."

The girls exchanged shocked glances. Jess had a wondering smile on her face, Dagger hadn't written any of that in her note. The other girls however were only concerned with the fact that Zidane had managed to get up early enough to go knock for somebody else, he usually got to school bare minutes before the bell rang. It was a surprise enough when he turned up at school on the first day fifteen, maybe ten, minutes before the bell.

"Yeah, so what!" Alex said defensively. The group of five boys sat crowded round one of the bright red four feet high tables. They were all leaning forward eagerly from their stalls, their arms either crossed on the table top or being used to eat their large quantities of food. They cheered at Alex's admittance, although Sam didn't appear to be too happy about it. Zidane shook his head smiling, "There's no reason to get defensive, Alex, Jess is a great girl. You know, half of the boys in school fancy her or have done at some point. And you know she has been single for a while now, I suggest you hurry up and ask her."

Alex looked at him fearfully, "You mean you guys actually want me to act on it? I have to ask her out?" They nodded as one, each of them with an incredulous look on their faces, they could not believe he thought that he could admit to something like that and get away with not following through with the appropriate actions. "Are you crazy? She won't want to go out with me, this is Jess we're talking about."

Zidane sighed as he found himself in a dilemma. If he didn't say anything it was more likely than not that Jess and Alex would never get together, they were both too afraid of what the other might say. However, were he to say something he would be betraying Jess' confidence, he had promised not to tell anyone of her feelings for Alex. Telling Alex in his opinion was the lesser of the two evils and he admittedly had already told Dagger, he had done so without realising and by the time he had it was too late to take it back.

"Look, Alex. I promised Jess not to tell anyone but I think the situation calls for it. She's kind of really fond of you." Zidane said eventually.

Alex looked puzzled, "Well yeah, I know that. She's really fond of all of us, even Dagger although we have only known her for a few weeks, she told me so. But that's why I'm afraid of asking, it might ruin our friendship."

Zidane shook his head quickly before in an urgent tone saying, "No, I mean really really _fond_."

The confused look remained as Alex opened his mouth to reply. Marcus cut in before he made a sound; "He's trying to say Jess wishes you would ask her without repeating her exact words, why I don't know."

"…She wishes I would ask her?" Alex repeated faintly as he went into a daze. Should he ask her?

Mean while Zidane was trying to explain his reasoning behind not repeating Jess' exact words but gave it up as a lost cause, they just didn't seem to be getting it at all. So instead he turned the attention back to Alex, "So you _are_ going to ask her, aren't you?"

Alex swallowed nervously before nodding hesitantly, "…yeah…yeah I am…I think."

"You are," Zidane, Marcus and Martin said together instantly. Sam merely nodded before asking, "When?" as he shook the loose salt off his fries.

"Soon," Alex replied, "Since Zidane said so many guys fancy her, I guess I should do as he says and ask her soon. Maybe even this afternoon." The guys cheered again, Martin and Sam hitting him on the back as they did so, attracting glances from the people sitting near by.

Amillia laughed, "So anyway, he then said if I didn't go out with him he'd-"

"Anything to tell yet?" Jess whispered. Dagger glanced at her quickly before looking away, "What do you mean?"

"You and Zidane. I made you promise to tell me were anything to happen and I've been wondering if something has."

"You don't think I'd keep that promise?"

"Well yes, I do. But I don't know if you would remember it. So has it? You never mentioned anything about yesterday in your note."

"Nothing happened yesterday. I really don't know what you expect."

"Oh come on, Dagger, it is so obvious…ok maybe not obvious but-"

Martin shifted uncomfortably. Once it was decided that Alex was to ask out Jess that afternoon the conversation turned to the others. Marcus admitted that he was still getting over him being dumped before summer. He didn't particularly like the girl he had been going out with and he didn't mind her dumping him he just wished she had done it in a less humiliating and horrifying way. He was rather afraid the next girl might do the same. He did however produce a long list of girls he thought were pretty.

Martin however needn't say a word, he felt very uncomfortable that they knew where his interests lay when he had thought he was being very subtle. He also didn't like the fact that none of them seemed very keen on it either. When he asked why Marcus had replied, "Look it's nothing against you really. It's just that we know you Mart and the way you are with girls and we really like Dagger so-"

Martin shook his head, "Alright I get it, but that doesn't mean I'm going to stop vying for her attention."

Zidane looked up from his burger sharply but gave no other sign that he had heard. The conversation moved onto Sam who kept his lips firmly closed and smiled secretively. Getting any information out of him proved hopeless and they soon grew bored of trying.

"So, Zidane," Alex asked with a sigh, "Dare we ask?" Every time they asked Zidane it was always the same answer, no he didn't fancy any girl and therefore no he wasn't going to ask one out. They would then usually ask him why and he would once again explain.

"What are you talking about? Even a blind man would see he has a thing for-"

"Shut up, Marcus." Zidane growled dangerously through gritted teeth.

"Dagger!" Marcus shouted, Martin looked at Zidane sharply but everyone else turned in their seats to glance out the window Marcus was waving at. When Zidane turned his head the girls stood right behind him. "Hey guys."

"You've been in here all lunch?" Jess asked taking the spare seat next to Alex. Zidane glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, he looked nervous.

"Yeah. We said we would be, didn't we?" Martin replied offering the seat at the side of the table between him and Zidane to Dagger who climbed up immediately. "I'm never going shopping with Jess again, at least not in these shoes."

Zidane smiled slightly at her. "Come on girls, sit down." He said to the other girls, "We have to finish eating." There wasn't enough seats for all of them, some of the girls had to share, which they complained was uncomfortable, and warned the boys that they had better hurry up.

When they had finished Zidane turned to Dagger, "I'm sorry Dagger, but you have to get up on your feet again. We're going to buy doughnuts then head back up to school."

"He's going to buy doughnuts he means." Martin corrected, "You're not going to back out of the deal are you," he added to Zidane.

Zidane shook his head, "Have I ever?"

Fifteen minutes later they were walking back to school. The large group divided as they often did when they were walking between places. At the back Zidane walked with Dagger. He held the large bag of doughnuts in his hands, the warmth of the still hot dough seeping through the paper. Dipping a hand into the bag he handed three doughnuts to Dagger, one more than everyone else. At the look on her face he murmured something about getting extra for walking after a shopping trip with Jess. He then went on to admit that he hadn't managed to survive a full one himself and had just stopped and refused to walk for hours. Before long they found themselves sitting at their desks in form and, for once, actually listening to Mrs Bat as she spoke to the class.

* * *

RefugeOfSouls its nice to have you back:) 


	24. 50 questions

_So sorry its taken so long to update but i've had a load of coursework that's pages long each...but that's no excuse. I really appreciate the reviews and french fries to me are the long thin crisps from walkers i think. lol i really can't imagine the ff characers with american accents just like you can't imagine them with english accents._

_Anyway here's the chapter and its a little longer than the first lot of chapters since its so late. Thanks for reading you guys. _

* * *

_Before long they found themselves sitting at their desks in form and, for once, actually listening to Mrs Bat as she spoke to the class._

* * *

Fifty Questions_  
_

Zidane and Sam laughed. Jess shook her head snorting, "Yeah that would work," she said sarcastically.

Alex frowned slightly in mock hurt, "It would!" there was a pause before he continued with an amused grin, "…if she was blind." Zidane and Sam laughed again and Jess reluctantly joined in.

Zidane's laughter trailed off however when his eyes caught on Martin and Dagger sitting further down the long table. Martin's arms were flung around both hers and Amelia's shoulders, they were laughing about something. _Yeah, too right you wont give up vying for her attention _Zidane thought as he realized Martin was being far more forward than he was usually, towards Dagger anyway and that maybe just maybe they had encouraged it by asking him not to. He grimaced slightly as he turned his head to look away, noticing as he did so the uncomfortable look on Dagger's face. She removed herself from their company and joined Zidane and the others not long after, Martin watching after her with slight disappointment in his eyes.

Zidane looked away from him as Dagger pulled a seat up between him and Jess and asked, "What's up with him? Martin I mean."

Dagger shook her head frowning slightly, "I do not think I care for his jokes too much."

He grimaced slightly again as such a joke of Martin's sprang to mind, "yeah, he can have a very crude sense of humor at times."

"Those times being when there's someone around to impress." Jess added but her laughter was stopped short. "Jessica Simmons!" Mr Greenman barked, "a word." Jess gulped as Zidane shook his head and muttered "Harris. It's Jessica Harris" under his breath. Jess stood up dropping Alex's hand as she did so, a hand which she had been holding from the minute he very self-consciously, and with a lot of pushing and prompting from Zidane and Sam, asked her out. Once he had managed to get the question out however they gave him the thumbs up and left him to fend for himself.

Jessica returned shortly after a quietly spoken one-sided conversation and sat down sullenly in her seat.

"Jess?" Zidane asked half concerned half curious as to what punishment she got, "Did you get detention or something?"

"No," she sighed, "He just wants to see my work and all of yours at the end of the lesson, sorry guys…I suggest we start working."

"Er, yeah." Zidane agreed as he glanced down at his work, half a word and he couldn't even remember what word it was supposed to be. "Er, what were we doing again?"

Zidane frowned down at his timetable. "Study?" he read aloud before turning to the others who were all huddled beside his locker waiting for him and Dagger. "Do we really have to stay here to study?"

Dagger frowned as she reprimanded him softly, "Where else are we to go? We can't leave school before the last bell, you know that." Sighing, her books cradled in the corner of her arm she shut her locker door and turned to him, "Come on, we might as well go to the library." She turned and walked down the corridor ignoring the groups uncomfortable shifting, the effects of an embarrassing health and social class.

Zidane imitated her sigh and followed after her glumly. If there was one thing he wanted to do right now sitting in a library with Dagger working in complete silence was far from it.

He spent the following hour sitting on a cushioned chair until his bum was numb and staring down at the page before him, letting the lines and words merge together into a meaningless jumble. Therefore when the bell eventually rang loud and clear throughout the building he jumped a foot in the air before blushing a deep red at the amused smile on Dagger's face.

"Come on," he said almost gruffly in a mixture of embarrassment and annoyance. He stood from his seat and made his way out of the building, before he even realised it he had lead Dagger back to his house.

"Ziddy!" a high-pitched scream that could be heard from the end of the street sounded as soon as he had the door open. He felt something make a sharp impact into his stomach knocking the wind out of him, looking down he found Midnight had her arms wrapped tightly around him. "Hey Middy" he said softly in fondness. Dagger smiled as she knelt down on the floor just inside the door so she was midnight's height, "Hey Middy. Do you remember me?"

Midnight turned her heard to regard the teen, her face was half hidden in the folds of Zidane's clothes as she replied with a slow nod, "Yeah, your Ziddy's girlfwend." She giggled, "Yoo didn't deny it."

Dagger blushed slightly before saying rather breathlessly, "She still remembers that?" as she looked up at him.

Zidane grimaced apologetically, "afraid so, her memory's really sharp."

There was the sound of movement at the end of the hallway and when he and Dagger glanced in that direction they saw Mrs Ryan smiling at them, "I thought I heard another voice, come on in Dagger, dear, we can't keep you standing in the doorway. The next-door neighbour is already suspicious about "a strange, pretty young lady" visiting my Zidane." The woman's smile widened fondly, she shook her head slightly, "Honestly Zidane I do not understand why you don't have your friends over more often."

Zidane shrugged before sheepishly replying, "They're all unbelievably messy. Don't you remember last festival of the hunt mum?"

He made his way up the hallway, his hand on Midnight's shoulder as she walked before him. Dagger followed close behind.

His mother stood at the end of the hallway and only entered the kitchen once the three of them had all taken a seat at the table. Dagger sat with her back to the fridge and Zidane sat opposite her once he had helped his little sister into her seat.

Mrs Ryan set about brewing the tea and at one point disappeared into the hallway cupboard only to re-emerge a few minutes later with a plate of biscuits and cakes, which she set on the table before them.

"So, Ziddy, what did you learn in school today? Anything interesting?" his mother asked as she dodged around their chairs to the fridge.

"E-er…" Zidane stuttered, "N-not much, no."

Mrs Ryan placed a glass of orange juice before her youngest and took her own seat at the table. She glanced at her son curiously before moving her eyes to meet Daggers. Light pink suffused her cheeks. "Dagger, dear?"

"Er, he's right really. We didn't learn much. Well I expect he didn't but I learnt a bit in defence today." She laughed slightly, "and how to shop at lunch. Taught personally by Jess."

"God, she's gonna be a nightmare," Zidane muttered as he promised himself never to go shopping with Dagger. Mrs Ryan shook her head at him fondly.

"I also learnt that I do not care much for Martin," Dagger continued on more seriously, Zidane glanced her way frowning slightly. She quickly added, "and apart from how to consummate marriage and further study into the Legend we learnt little."

"Ah," the elder woman said knowingly and to reduce the teens embarrassment chose a relatively safe topic of conversation, "Shopping with Jess, huh?" She rose from her seat and went to make the tea. "I hope you don't drive my Zidane mad with it like Jess did. He refused to leave his room for hours after she left."

"Mum!" Zidane interrupted irritated, "I'd rather talk about health and social thanks."

"And may I ask why you don't care for Martin?" his mother asked Dagger completely ignoring him. He couldn't help but sense how pleased she was.

The girl shrugged uncomfortably, "I don't know exactly. I do not like his sense of humor and I guess he's a little to forceful."

Zidane sat up straighter frowning, "Forceful? How?"

"Ziddy!" Midnight interrupted the conversation as she leant forward in her seat arms outstretched reaching for the plate of biscuits. Her elder brother pushed the plate gently into her reach and by the time he had turned his attention back to the teen opposite him he found that his mum had moved the conversation on once again, this time to defence. He caught his mother's eye and knew that she had stopped Dagger from asking deliberately.

* * *

Zidane sighed and he flipped the light-switch as he entered his room. He waited for Dagger to enter before shutting the door behind them softly. With a determination to get an answer out of her about Martin he turned away from the door and glanced towards her. She sat at the edge of his bed with a hand shielding her eyes. He frowned, "Dagger? Are you alright?" he asked as he walked towards her and knelt down placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Yeah. The light's too bright; it's giving me a headache. That's all."

"Oh? Well…" he stood, frowning. "Erm…" he walked over to his desk, repositioned his lamp before turning it on and crossing the room to switch off the main light. He turned to look at her shrugging, "Any better?"

She nodded, "Yes, thanks."

Zidane was about to reply when they heard a key in the door downstairs. "That'll be my dad. We er…should be doing schoolwork or something so he won't think…" he shrugged looking away from her, "you know."

"Y-yeah," she replied grabbing her bag from beside the door and taking her books out. "We might as well do that maths work you missed at lunch, don't you think?"

Zidane nodded and smiled.

It couldn't have been ten minutes later when Zidane's father opened the door and peered in. He took in the whole of his son's bedroom in a glance. Zidane and Dagger both lay on the bed, the king and queens books open before them along with dozens of lined paper filled with pencilled words and Zidane's completed maths work. Their quiet conversation had stopped when he'd opened the door. They were now both looking up at him expectantly.

"Just wanted to let you know I'm home lad." He began to shut the door then stopped to say, "Mind you don't walk the young lady home to late, Zid. You don't know who could be out there late at night."

"Ok" Zidane called back. His voice quickly followed by the door clicking shut.

The two immediately went back to work and Zidane continued his recitation of a portion of the Zidane was a thief theory.

Half an hour later Zidane broke their work with a yawn. He rolled off of the bed and crossed the room to sit on the floor with his back against the wardrobe. Dagger watched him curiously before standing herself and sitting opposite him, leaning against the bed.

Zidane tilted his head smiling slightly, "Dagger?"

"Hmmm?"

"Ever heard of fifty questions?"

She nodded, "I vaguely remember hearing some people play it back in Alexandria at the beginning of the new school year."

Zidane nodded, "Yeah? Jess taught me when I first met her about five years ago now…Hot or cold?"

Dagger sighed with a smile, "Cold because you can always warm up but never cool down." Zidane nodded muttering, "Same here."

"Vegetarian or Omnivore?" Dagger asked him.

"Omnivore! I don't think I could survive being a vegetarian, I hate vegetables."

Dagger laughed as Zidane thought of a question, "Right or left?"

"What?"

"Right or left?" he repeated.

"…Right? I'm right handed and whenever I'm lost I go…left actually." She laughed, "Okay that didn't quite work out, did it? But I'll stick with right, I really don't know. Summer or winter?"

Zidane stared at her for a time before answering, "Oh I don't know. I like them both, summer because you can stay out later with your friends and winter because it's cool. I'd have to say winter."

Dagger smiled, "I'd choose the same."

"Besides," Zidane grinned, "winter festival is then."

Dagger laughed.


	25. The Royal pendant

Hey guys, sorry about the long wait, time kinda got away from me. I couldn't believe it when i realised i haven't updated in five months. This chapter i wrote before ff12 was released and with playing that i never got the chance to put it on here. The issue with Jess and the money did actually happen in my life although when i read it i have to admit it does sound far fetched. Well anyway...r&r as always :) and the next chapter is on the way.

* * *

_"Besides," Zidane grinned, "winter festival is then." _

_Dagger laughed._

* * *

**The Royal Pendant**

Dagger sighed as she opened her bedroom door and hurried down the stairs, still clad in her pyjamas with her hair tied up in a messy ponytail, to answer the door. If it was Zidane that was ringing her doorbell early in morning again she was going to kill him. What sane person sleeps in during the week and gets up early on a Saturday. As soon as she had thought this however she realised how absurd a thought it was, Zidane would never be up early on a Saturday and knocking on her door especially since they had arranged the day before for him to meet her at the centre of the shopping plaza at 11. She frowned as she reached the bottom of the stairs, who was it then?

She slid off the latch on the door and slowly opened it, pulling her dressing gown close around her against the chill of the autumn wind. The postmoogle smiled at her, "Morning little Miss, sorry to have disturbed your sleep. I have a parcel for you here, kupo, if you can just sign this for me please?" He handed her a clipboard and a pen pointing to the dotted line where her signature was required. She did as she was asked and he handed her a box that wasn't too big nor was it too small. "Thanks" she said as he turned away from the door. She carried the box into the front room, placing it onto the coffee table. She was very curious as to what could possibly be in it but decided getting dressed was the first priority and since she had quite a few more clothes than she had a few days ago thanks to Jess it took longer to decide just what she felt like wearing. Dagger shook her head; the last two days of school had been very surprising.

_Thursday _

_Dagger sighed as she once more glanced over at Zidane and Jess where they sat off to one side of the rest of the class quietly talking. They had been for sometime and the concerned and sad look on Zidane's face worried her. She watched as Zidane shook his head slowly and sighed as he murmured something. He looked up and over at Dagger who looked back questioningly as he said something she couldn't here to Jess who immediately looked over her shoulder to the other teenager. Jess nodded to Zidane, slowly stood and walked over to Dagger. _

_"Er Dagger can I ask a favour please?" _

_Dagger frowned, "Sure" _

_"I'm not sure if its asking a lot…it is of Zidane but he said you're better off than he…er what I'm trying to say is my mum has run up a very large bill that has to be paid today and with our financial standing at the moment she can't pay it. I don't get paid until tomorrow so I can't help out. Zidane's family isn't much better than mine at the moment what with them no longer getting money from Robert but I suspect they'll get back on there feet again soon. So I wondered if it were possible to borrow one hundred gill off of you until tomorrow" _

_"Of course, Jess" Dagger replied immediately. _

_"Really?" Jess said excitedly as she threw her arms around her before beaming over her shoulder at Zidane who sighed with relief. _

_"Actually, Jess, you can keep it. One hundred gill isn't really that much to me and if your financial standing is as bad as she say it is then I really can't ask for you to repay me." _

_"What?" Jess asked stunned, "I'm paying you back Dagger, I couldn't not." _

_"I'm not going to take any money off of you Jess," She replied with a smile. _

_Jess sighed and nodded and began to move off to her seat when Dagger called her back. "Hey, Jess, who's Robert?" _

_Jess hesitated before replying slowly, "Ask Zidane," _

_The end of history came soon after and they were all leaving the room for break when Zidane had caught up with her again. "Hey, that was really great of you." He said softly as they left the building and followed their friends at a slower pace. "Jess was really panicky this morning, she didn't know what to do, all she could think of were her little brothers and sister." _

_"Why was she panicky, she had only asked you? Surely she still had Amillia, Rose and the others to ask to? If not them then Alex?" _

_Zidane shook his head, "It's a closely guarded secret, how much her family is struggling. But apparently she has already told you in one of her "notes"…seriously though, what do you right in those things?" _

_Dagger laughed, "None of your business, its girls stuff." _

_He frowned, "You talk about shopping?" _

_She laughed, "No," _

_"Oh ok…so, aren't you going to miss your hundred gill?" _

_"No, but I am expecting a call from my parents in a few days because of it, they are able to watch my bank account and would want to know where that much money just disappeared to." _

_"What will you say?" he asked apprehensively. _

_"I'm not sure yet, but I'll think of something." _

Dagger had to admit although it was a shock it was a rather pleasant shock opening the door late Friday night to find Jess outside laden with shopping bags, tons of them. Jess had wandered into the living room and dropped the bags onto the sofa,

_Friday _

_"Repayment," she replied with a grin before quickly leaving the house again. Dagger ran to the door after her, "Jess?" Jess stopped at the end of the front garden pathway. "I'm paying you back Dagger. You said you wouldn't take any money so you can take shopping instead, and you can't try giving it back to me none of it is in my size," Jess laughed, "See you on Sunday." _

_"Jess wait! At least come in and go through it with me." _

_Jess and stopped, looked thoughtful then nodded, "Any chance I can have some hot chocolate, it's freezing out here. I think winter's coming early." _

_"Yeah, come on in," Dagger smiled. _

Most of the stuff Jess had bought, clothes, jewellery and all, would take Dagger some getting used to, it was so different to what she usually wore. She had a feeling that most of it her parents would disapprove of but couldn't quite bring herself to care. She was very touched by the gesture and was very surprised at the recently unearthed stubborn streak in Jess.

She shook her head remembering the parcel downstairs and focused on what Jess had said matched what as she glanced out the window to the weather before once more glancing back at the clothes and making as best a judge as she could on what was most suitable.

Twenty minutes later she sat down on the leather armchair in her front room, in front of the recently cut open box, reading a letter from her grandparents. They enquired after her health and that of the young gentleman that she had brought with her to their house, who, by the way, they said they gave their blessing. They also asked how she was coping living on her own and invited her over for Christmas in advance so that they were sure to get her before she made plans with somebody else and they had to go without their favourite granddaughter. They went on to explain that they understood that she had a interest in the great legend and that she was undertaking a project with earlier mentioned boy into it and so they thought she might like to have the books she read in her early teen years about the legend close to hand.

Dagger placed the letter onto the table and pulled the box towards her. Reaching in she found that all of the books were indeed there. She stared at them in surprise. Then something occurred to her that Zidane mentioned a few days back and she spent the remainder of the time she had before she had to leave flicking through the pages of each book.

* * *

Zidane sighed, it was bloody freezing. He really should have arranged to meet with Dagger somewhere inside, with heating he thought to himself. Where was she? He had thought he was going to be late but apparently it didn't matter.

"Zidane!" Dagger called from somewhere behind him. He turned round to find her approaching from the opposite side of the square rummaging through her bag for something. She brought out a book and opened it to the relevant page before handing it to him.

Slightly confused, Zidane read the title. "The royal pendant? I thought you said it was in a book you read at your grandparents?"

"It was. They sent me this book and a load of others through the post this morning."

Zidane nodded as he looked back down at the page and continued to read. "Seems like that pendant was pretty important to just be an heirloom."

"Maybe," Dagger said thoughtfully, frowning slightly. "Come on, let's go"

Zidane nodded and fell into step with her as they left the shopping plaza and headed off to the residential palace of Lindblum to see an old friend of Zidane's, the regent.

Zidane frowned, "Hey Dagger? Are those new clothes?"

"Yeah, Jess bought them as repayment…What do you think?" She asked uncertainly. They came to a halt.

He looked at her thoughtfully before coming to a decision that he relayed to her in a slow and wary voice, "It's different."

Dagger frowned worriedly, hastily asking, "Good different? I'm really not too confident about Jess's tastes. I'm pretty sure I've never seen her wearing anything like this."

Zidane shook his head with a small smile, "You look great, Dagger. You always look great." His smile faded and his tail moved agitatedly behind him as he hurriedly continued "– I mean … I…" He sighed, nodded and looked her directly in the eye, "That's exactly what I mean."

Dagger found herself blushing, just as she did a few weeks earlier, and yet instead of looking away, which was her first instinct she found herself searching his eyes for sincerity and when she found it she blushed a little deeper.

"Come on, it's freezing," Zidane whined, "Let's go."

Dagger nodded and they set off for the gates of the residential palace of Lindblum.

* * *

They walked down the red carpeted hallway in silence, Dagger with a thoughtful frown and Zidane with a sheepish smile and an air of expectancy about him.

Then…

"Zidane!?" Dagger said suddenly as she looked at the boy next to her in disbelief, "Are all those stories true?"

Zidane nodded hesitantly, running a hand through his hair, "afraid so."

"The headmaster and Regent must be very happy that you don't seem to be causing that kind of trouble this year." She shook her head.

"Yeah," he replied, "The head said it's down to you and this project. Shame there will be no turning back to normal after, this being our last year at school and all."

"Well, there is something to be happy about, I suppose. We now know the exact date that Lindblum was practically destroyed."

"And the date at which it was rebuilt," Zidane said with a nod.

"What next?" She asked looking at him for his answer.

"What did you say? Dali and Treno? Well they are close to each other aren't they; couldn't we do them in the same trip?"

"Yeah they are relatively close I guess. It might take longer than you think though; I hear Treno has a large library."

"Yeah, it was built about ten years back now I think."

Dagger nodded, "How about we take a visit to both places during the October break? That would give us a week."

Zidane winced slightly, "We can't. I'm going on holiday with my family for the week. It's kind of tradition."

"Oh?" There was a great amount of interest in her voice but it didn't totally mask the disappointment that was there also. "Where are you going?"

Zidane shrugged, "Not sure, actually. Mum did mention going to a town called Black Mage Village, my aunt Ethereal loves it there. She also said something about going to Ash bay in-"

" Alexandria." Dagger finished with a smile and a nod, "Yeah. I've been there. When I was about eight I think."

They exited the castle and walked down the broad streets to the market plaza near Zidane's house.

He glanced round, "Oh! Er…would you like to come to my house? I'm sure Middy would be glad to see you." He asked after realising where they were.

"Sure. I wouldn't mind a talk with your mother either."

He frowned, "What? Why?"

Dagger shrugged nonchalantly, "She's very interesting and gives excellent advice."

"What do you need advice on?" he asked slightly incredulously.

"Girls business," Dagger replied with a smile.

Zidane raised an eyebrow before hesitantly asking, "Shopping?"

"No!" She exclaimed laughing, "there really is more to girls than shopping. Really!"

They stepped inside the front door of his house and hung up there coats. They heard Mrs Ryan's voice from the kitchen, "Middy, go see who's just arrived." Zidane shook his head, his mother knew it was him; he was the only one who wasn't in.

"Ziddy!" Midnight squealed. She charged down the corridor knocking the shelving unit that stood against the stairs. A miniature statue fell and broke into a million pieces on the wooden floor. Midnight turned, looking sheepish and their mum appeared at the kitchen door way, hands on hips and shaking her head, "Third one this month, I really ought to move them. By the way Zidane a few of your friends came round for you earlier. Said they might pop back in later."

"Ok, who was it-"

"Zid lad, how did it go?" His father's voice came from the front room. Zidane motioned for Dagger to follow him as he entered the room and took a seat on the sofa.

"It went okay I guess." Zidane said nodding slightly.

"Ah, Dagger, it's good to see you again. With you around I know he isn't getting into trouble."

"Middy?" Mrs Ryan called down the corridor, "Your dinner is ready."

"But mum I wanna talk ta Ziddy's girlfwend." Midnight called back as she dutifully left the room.

Zidane returned his gaze to his father who was now giving him a calculating look. There will be no staying in his room alone with Dagger while his father was home anymore, he thought, why on earth didn't they deny it?

Dagger shifted in her seat uncomfortably before standing, "Erm, I'm going to go help in the kitchen." She said as she hurried out the room.

Mr Ryan raised a querying eyebrow at his son who hastily explained the situation. By the time he was finished Mrs Ryan was calling them for dinner.

* * *

Zidane yawned as he began to climb the stairs, Dagger right behind him. He wasn't even on the fourth stair when the doorbell rang.

Dagger watched amused as he turned on the spot and stared at the door. "Zid, lad, the door's not going to answer itself," his father told him as he made his way into the front room, newspaper in hand.

Zidane shook his head and went to answer the door only to find a grinning Jess, Alex and Emma the other side.

"Hey guys, my mum said you came by," Zidane murmured before stepping to one side and letting them in.

"Hey Dag! We heard Zidane was out with you this morning. You look great," Emma said as she caught sight of the other teenager still standing on the stairs.

"Hey, thanks. So what have you guys been up to?" Dagger asked as she made her way down the stairs to stand in the hallway with them.

"Well we came round for Zidane at about one," Jess said consulting her watch, "and when he turned out not to be here we went down to the coffee house in the food district and then," she pulled a face, "the burger bar,"

"Hey, you got to go to the coffee house so it was only fair that I got to go to the burger bar." Alex replied casually.

"Right, well, are you guys gonna stand in the doorway all night or are you coming in?" Zidane called over his shoulder as he turned and made his way up the stairs followed closely by Dagger.

"We're coming!" Emma called and hurriedly ran up the stairs behind them leaving Alex and Jess to close the door.

* * *

"I don't like coffee," Alex said.

"Me neither," Zidane replied, although he had dragged the guys to the coffee house many times himself, "but they have the nicest bagels there."

"The bagels are nice," Jess said, "but I go for the coffee."

"I go for the cute guy, you know, the lead singer of the band that play there." Emma smiled dreamily.

"Really!?" Jess said sarcastically, "You've never mentioned him before."

"I'm guessing she never shuts up about him?" Dagger asked, speaking for the first time in this conversation which had been surprisingly a long one considering they were only talking about a coffee house.

"She talks about him a lot, but considering that you haven't heard of him yet maybe not as much as we thought." Alex replied calmly.

Jess stood up, "We really should be leaving, it's half ten, can you believe it?"

The others exchanged looks of surprise. "I should be going too then," Dagger stood from where she sat on the floor back against Zidane's wardrobe.

Zidane was also climbing to his feet when Jess stopped him, "Oh don't worry Zidane, we'll walk Dagger home. There's no point in you walking all the way to her house and then have to walk home on your own is there?"

Zidane nodded smiling his thanks but he couldn't help feeling a little bit disappointed. He had taken to kissing Dagger on the cheek whenever he had to say goodbye to her. He didn't know whether it was to cover the first one that he had done unintentionally or just because he liked doing it. He didn't however kiss her on the cheek when they were in company he didn't even hug her then. He would miss not kissing her tonight although he was certain she thought it was purely platonic.

"Right well, I'll see you guys" He climbed the remainder of the way to his feet.

"Oh Zid," Alex stopped at the door and turned to him, "We're all hanging out tomorrow, dunno where yet, you joining us?"

Zidane shook his head, "Can't man, I told you on Friday that I have to look after Middy, my parents are going shopping for her birthday. I can give you a call when they get back though."

"When's Midnight's birthday, again, I could have sworn it's still months away?" Jess asked.

"Third of November, twenty days before mine, you know that." He looked down at his watch, "Exactly a month away actually." They began to file out of his bedroom and down the stairs, "My parents always buy the presents a month early so that she doesn't know they've got them."

The group said their goodbyes to Zidane at the door and he watched them go until they were out of sight. Closing the door gently behind him he turned and ran back up the stairs to his room.


	26. Speeches

* * *

Speeches

"I hear Amelia, Emma and Rose are all going away for October break now to. They're using their projects as excuses to get their parents to let them go. I think all their parents are going with them and their project partner though, chaperones I guess." Zidane said to his mother one night. His father was in the front room most probably reading the newspaper and Midnight was tucked into bed by Zidane, as she requested, a few hours before hand. Zidane's mother was making the usual cup of tea for her and Zidane before they went to bed themselves.

"Ok?" she asked as she picked up the teapot, her hand carefully wrapped in the tea cosy, and poured the tea out. "Who isn't going away then? You know it'll only cost us 25 gil per extra person were you to invite a few of your friends. But then again," She stirred the liquid in each of the cups, "we have a family ticket booked on the airship. There are only two spare spaces unless they're willing to pay 150 gil for their flight.

Zidane sighed as he sat down at the table, his mug of tea in hand. His mother always offered to take a few of his friends on their holiday, he always declined but with so few of them staying in Lindblum this time…before it had been unfair because he could only take a few and not them all. "Er I'm not sure who's staying here. Well definitely Dagger for one and Jess. I think Martin is staying behind too. I'm pretty sure that's it though. Sam's not sure; he might be visiting his cousin in Treno."

She nodded her head, "You should invite them. Jess and Dagger first, then offer Martin a chance to come along if he is willing to pay for his flight. And Alex. It will make it easier for us room wise if you ask the two girls first. It might be a good idea for you to have them along; it'll keep you busy and out of your father's hair." She smiled at him in way that made him instantly suspicious.

"What hair? He hasn't got any." Zidane replied half-heartedly, "I don't think it's such a great idea myself. You know what Mart and Alex are like with Middy. They _always_ make her cry, they tease her too much. Jess and Dagger are alright though, Midnight loves them and I swear they're more her friends than mine sometimes."

"You shouldn't base all your decisions on what your sister thinks and feels, Zid, although it is a nice gesture."

"It's not my friends holiday, it Middy's and yours and dad's, it's not right to let them ruin it."

Mrs Ryan nodded, "Alright, invite the girls then. It would be a great treat for Jess, Dagger mentioned loaning her money, I hear she hasn't been away from Lindblum in a while."

Zidane looked up sharply from the table top, "She did?" He couldn't believe it; didn't "Closely guarded secret" mean anything to Dagger? She wouldn't really betray Jess' confidence like that would she?

They sat in silence for a while, Mrs Ryan watching him intently as he stared off into space, a vague image of holiday with three girls he loved in his head there was just one problem, "Mum, where are we going?"

"Black Mage Village, I hear it's a peaceful place but a maze. I don't want you youngsters wondering off deep into the forests alone as much as can be helped." She paused, "Then again there are times when you should wander off, there are some things Midnight is to young to see."

Zidane shot his mother a confused look.

She sighed, "Well, if you are to invite Jess, Dagger and Alex at any rate. I hear they are going out these days?"

Zidane nodded, what she meant becoming clear in his mind.

"It would be a very good idea to bring Dagger with you. She's such a sweet girl and even helps out with the chores unlike most of your friends or dare I say even you. Maybe you'll get back to completing this project you two seemed to have abandoned lately. Oh don't think I haven't noticed," she added as she caught his look of surprise, "I'm sure you'll get back to work shortly and fair enough you are due a short break here and there but you really need to do this Zidane. I mean, it's what you've always wanted: to learn what isn't already known. And you never know, you might actually discover something important in the village. I hear that the old legend states that they visited the village, although it was a lot smaller at the time, a village actually." She shook her head as she poured Zidane out another cup of tea, "Come on drink this down and get to bed, School morning tomorrow."

Zidane sighed disheartened. School – he really didn't feel like he had the spirit to face it any more, he often didn't at this time of year and usually joked that it was down to SAD (seasonal affected disorder) but knew that this year it was down to the stupid project. He had often wondered of late why he had to choose something that was so difficult to prove. So far he and Dagger had together completed the whole of the false stories or what they believed to be false, who knows one of them might be true, and not much else. Still he supposed that there were plenty of places that they could discover more about the King and Queen, plenty of people to ask who might no odd bits of information about them.

He drained the mug in front of him and replaced it upon the tabletop before kissing his mother good night and disappearing off up to bed.

* * *

Dagger smiled slightly dreamily out of the window to the moon. She felt so relaxed and peaceful, she'd finally settled into school, surrounded by friends thanks to Zidane and she felt like she belonged. She still got the evening phone call from her parents although lately it was every weekend instead of every day.

The school food was still not up to Zidane's standards and Martin was still forcing himself rather close to her at times, the lessons were so-so they didn't require at lot of effort and defence was getting better every week.

There was only one thing that could possibly dampen any day: Zidane. Everything about him seemed so gloomy and grim. He seemed to be despondent almost the entire of the previous week, she had thought that he was just having a bad day but it just continued stretching on to the next day and then the next. Tomorrow he would be okay, she told herself everyday and then again the next and now it made her wonder. She had thought about cheering him up or asking him what was wrong but Jess had advised her to leave him be, she knew something, she knew what was wrong she was sure of it.

Dagger hadn't seen him all weekend and made a promise to herself to ask him if he still seemed to be in a foul mood. Maybe he would start to produce good work in class too, teaching him maths had been terrible he just didn't want to know. He'd had to have three sessions of tutoring last week at the teacher's orders; they didn't blame Dagger they put all of the blame on Zidane's shoulders. It hurt, watching them putting him done right in front of her but the worst of it was he didn't even try to defend himself, he didn't mention how hard he had been trying to pick up his grades, he just took it, he let them believe that he was a poor student and not that bright either. She had a feeling that math lessons were going to be terrible for him this coming week, if only she could sit beside him in class to help but that wasn't possible, she'd have to drop two whole maths sets to get to his level and her parents would be furious, throwing her education away for a boy. It wasn't just any boy, it was Zidane and he was great and worth it. Of course he wouldn't let her so it was never going to happen.

She sighed and replaced the brush she was gripping onto her bedside cabinet and climbed into bed. A flick of the lamp switch later and the darkness filled the room, the silvery glow of the moon shining through the glass.

* * *

Zidane leant against his locker, his arms folded across his chest as he glanced through the crowd of students. Where was she? Dagger hadn't come to knock for him this morning. Didn't she want to walk with him to school anymore? Well she could have at least called to tell him, he thought bitterly. Was she running late? He shook his head with a snort, no; she'd never be late.

"Hey, Zidane. How are you this week?" Rose said as she approached with her cousin Sadie. Sadie had bright blonde hair, very nearly platinum, and eyes that could be described as teal in colour. She had been unofficially voted the best looking girl in school and Zidane had had to agree, but since then Dagger had come to Lindblum high, now he saw an attractive girl but he wouldn't say she was the prettiest girl he had ever seen. He didn't know Sadie too well and although she wasn't as superficial as most of the girls in Lindblum he did know that her feet weren't exactly attached to the ground, she did sometimes appear to have a float spell attached to her personality but Rose didn't appreciate a bad word spoken against her cousin unless she was the one talking.

"I'm pretty good, thanks Rose, how was your weekend?" He answered readjusting his bag on his back.

"Oh pretty boring actually, no one was doing anything really. Jess and Alex were busy and …"

"Zidane, there you are,"

He turned to see Dagger and Jess approaching up the corridor. "Oh hey," he murmured, "What happened to you this morning?"

"Over slept, must be a contagious thing, me and Jess, both, seem to have caught it off of you," Dagger replied with a bright smile. Why was she so happy?

The bell rang shrilly through the halls and the small group of friends set off to form room with three conversations going on at the same time.

Dagger dropped back away from Jess to talk to Zidane, "You seem more cheerful this week," she said in a soft wary voice.

"Er…yeah, I'm better now, it's a long story, Dagger I-"

She raised a hand to stop him, "It's ok, no need to tell me if you don't want to. I understand that it's important to keep some things to your self."

He glanced at her thoughtfully, then nodded. They were at the classroom door by the time he leaned in and murmured, "It's not a secret, but I'll tell you some day."

* * *

Zidane sighed and stood from his seat, following Dagger to the front of the room. They turned to face the class and he leaned in and whispered, "I hate this part,"

"We're ready when you are, Mr Ryan," the teacher said sharply.

"Dagger?" Zidane prompted.

She coughed self consciously before starting in a nervous voice, "There are many theories into the Legend, many stories that tell of different events that end with the King and Queen of Alexandria getting married. One such story is the tale of the nobleman's son, Zidane Tribal, who was between the ages of 19 and 23.

"…The Lord Tribal who is said to have resided in Treno since the coronation of Queen Brahne died of an unknown disease. He experienced… had several symptoms… er was a rather well fed man up to his early thirties in which he lost a considerable amount of weight after it is said he experienced a period of time where he had difficulty walking, speaking and swallowing. With today's knowledge of diseases and their symptoms we were able to identify the disease he had to possibly being Huntington's disease to which there is still no cure.

"… Er, Zidane Tribal was said to be reticent and reclusive, he didn't know his father well however historic reports say that he was distraught and emotionally unstable at his father's worsening state and eventual death. He was left the sole heir of the Tribal family having no siblings and his mother had passed away a few years previously due to…er-" she glanced hastily down at the papers clutched in her trembling hands, " the flu, seems a pretty poor way to die but – anyway – Zidane, in a fit of sudden caring for his father, went to Alexandria the biggest city on the Mist continent.

"He was knocked over by a kid and was almost mugged down an alleyway minutes after he had first entered the city. The outskirts of Alexandria were the poor districts of the city; the funeral house where he was visiting was near to the palace according to the maps from that era.

"It is written that he wasn't there for long, a few hours at the very most, there was less option when deciding funerals in those days. It was when he was leaving the building and walking down the streets past an alleyway that he noticed a small hooded figure struggling with a larger male. He stepped in unnoticed, and with a knife pressed to the man's neck ordered the release of the hooded figure. The hooded figure, who he later found out to be the runaway princess, had sustained minor injuries. He took her back to his inn room to dress them since she was said to have refused his suggestion of taking her to a healer, he'd even offered to pay the bill for her. A palace guard called round the inn to see if anyone had seen the missing princess, the inn keeper turned him away at the door insisting that none of his guests were the princess nor harbouring her and that he did not wish for his customers to be disturbed.

"Mr Tribal, er Zidane, was in the common room of the inn at the time and returned to his room with food for his "ill" guest. She had no choice but to tell him who she was, it would appear that he was very understanding and agreed to help her out of the city. Inexplicably they never parted company from then on."

Dagger sighed in relief as she turned her head to glance at Zidane who immediately started talking when she stopped, "Another story is the tale of the thief, Zidane Tribal, who was said to be within the ages of 19 and 21. He worked within a group of thieves, whether it was some sort of guild or a group of orphans or runaways is unknown, that were notorious for robbing enough to get by on. Despite these surprising morals it is thought that he entered the castle one evening during a state event with the thought of stealing the crown, perhaps to end the groups thieving days for good. The Princess Garnet was absent from the event, maybe she was just ill but it was thought that she planned to leave the castle that night. It appears that he must have dropped his quest to get the crown, as there are no reports of it have ever been stolen. The Princess however was reported missing from the castle after the state event and so it is speculated that she ran off with the thief."

The true story of the Legend, we suspect, is largely different from all known accounts. Some of the continuous facts just don't seem to fit." Zidane finished, he looked over at Dagger who nodded with a smile.

"Well," their English teacher said in clear surprise, "that was very well done, great work Miss Gilla, Mr Ryan. Now who's next? Sam you and your partner to the front please."

* * *

He dropped his pen onto the coffee table that sat in the middle of Dagger's living room as she walked carefully through the door carrying two mugs of tea. "Erm, doubt it would be as good as your mums," she murmured as she handed it across to him.

"Thanks," he smiled, "I'm sure it will be fine."

"So," she sat down in the white armchair facing the table, "you're mum is sure about this, I wouldn't want to impose on a family holiday. I'm sure Jess would feel the same."

"Jess does feel the same, but said she'll go if you do." He stood from where he had been kneeling beside the table and sat in the chair opposite, his eyes squinting against the bright light that reflected around the white room.

"Then, if she's absolutely sure about it, I guess I'll go," she frowned down at the white carpet before smiling slightly, "Someone needs to keep you company and in line when you're feeling rebellious."

"Rebellious?" he said incredulously, "Me?"

She made a noncommittal noise as she leant forward to glance at his writing. "How's your Cleyra research coming? Found a definite date at all?"

"No," he sighed, "not yet." He rubbed his eyes tiredly before picking up his pen.

"No, leave that," she said taking the pen out of his hand, "You're tired. Come on, I'll show you the guest room." Dagger stood from her seat and led him up the stairs and down the hall opposite her own room. Leaning in through the open doorway she switched the light on and took a glance round the room before letting him in.

"I really can walk home, you know," He said wryly as walked to the middle of the room and turned to face her.

"We've been other this, besides I rang your mother hours ago, she would have locked the front door by now."

"Alright…thanks," he said rather awkwardly.

"I'll just go and clear up down stairs and I'll be back up to go to bed myself," she murmured pointing back over her shoulder.

It was barely ten minutes later when she found herself climbing into bed and she was just settling down into the covers, one hand reaching out to switch off the lamp on her bedside table when there was a knock on her door. It opened slowly and Zidane poked his head around the door.

"Zidane? Do you need something?" She asked instantly on her feet and walking over to the door.

"Er…no," he said frowning slightly, "I was just on my way back from the bathroom and thought I'd come to say goodnight."

"Oh?"

"Yeah…so, er goodnight then." He replied unsure, her questions throwing him off so that what should have been simple turned into something quite complicated.

Dagger nodded with a tired smile that was completely lost to Zidane who was frowning down at her carpet.

He looked up, shook his head and kissed her on the cheek, "thanks for letting me stay."

"Letting you? Didn't give you much of a choice," she replied smiling a little bit more.

He snorted, "I suppose not, well night."

* * *

"Middy, please!" Zidane whined, "I don't feel like reading right now," he gently tore his arm out of her grip.

It was dark; the stars were out in the sky above their heads as the airship flew over the sea away from the mist continent. Mr and Mrs Ryan were in their cabin and Alex was in his and Zidane's fast asleep the last time Zidane checked.

Dagger watched as Midnight pouted and just as she was about to throw a tantrum Jess took her hand and said, "Don't worry about it Mid, all brothers are prats at times. I'll read to you, me and Dagger together, ain't that right Dag?" she began leading the toddler back to her cabin aboard the airship.

"Yeah, of course," Dagger replied following after them immediately, throwing a curious glance over her shoulder at Zidane who looked vaguely annoyed.

As they disappeared down the steps back inside he sighed and turned his back on the deck, looking out at the sky on the horizon over the sea. Well, he thought, that backfired.

* * *

Hmm, think it might have been a little to broken up but...


	27. Black Mage Village

_I do not own ff9 or westlife's song maybe tomorrow. My sister had it on repeat whilst I was writing this chapter and I kept accidentally writing the lyrics instead of the story so I thought I might incorporate it into the story._

_Hiya, just letting you know I'm seriously thinking thinking about re-writing this chapter and perhaps making the story more concise, meaning the chapters will be less in number but longer in length. As for why I might re-write the chapter - I'm not sure that it is as good as I could write it, maybe a little rushed. well let me know what you think..._

* * *

_As they disappeared down the steps back inside he sighed and turned his back on the deck, looking out at the sky on the horizon over the sea. Well, he thought, that backfired_

**Black Mage Village**

_"Can't believe its over.  
That you're leaving.  
Weren't we meant to be?_

_Should've sensed the danger.  
Read the warnings.  
Right there in front of me"_

"That is so depressing!"

Dagger jumped and twisted her head around to face the doorway sharply. Zidane and Alex were standing in the doorway of hers and Jess' bedroom.

"Boys," Jess grumbled under her breath, "do you have to give us a heart attack like that!" she snapped agitatedly at them as she dropped the glossy magazine she was reading onto her covers and pulled herself up onto her knees.

Dagger, who had been laying on her front, her head at the bottom of the bed, and doodling on the back page of her notebook, rolled off of her bed after slamming the book shut and crossed the small space of floor to the stereo that was currently belting out the lyrics: "_Just stop. Don't make me beg you. Tell me that you'll stay the ni_-"

Dagger shook her head; it seemed too quiet now that she had turned off the music.

"Much better!" Alex said grinning, "Not feeling so down now." He crossed the room to take a seat next to Jess on her bed, "I really don't know why you girls listen to stuff that is so… Do you like crying or something?"

Zidane snorted, then coughed as Dagger and Jess glared at him, and smiled disarmingly.

Dagger rolled her eyes as she straightened her clothes, "At least it got you two up. Your mum didn't want us to eat breakfast until you two had rejoined the world of the living."

Zidane snorted again, "He," he pointed over at Alex, "is definitely still in the land in the living when he's asleep. Even when he's not snoring he's talking in his sleep. There's no peace."

Alex glanced over at his friend in what he obviously thought was disinterest, to Dagger it looked a lot closer to panic as he casually asked, "Oh? And what may I ask did I say?"

Zidane coughed, ducked his head and began to leave the room, "You don't want to know."

Before long they were all sat around one of the long wooden tables in the Inn's restaurant.

"It's still bloody depressing," Alex grumbled into his cereal.

Mr Ryan sighed, "They're teenage girls, Alex, they need emotional things in their lives to be able to function properly,"

The newspaper that he was currently reading was snatched out of his hands and his wife promptly hit him over the head with it.

During all this further down the table Zidane was talking to his sister while Dagger looked on in exasperation, "Now, repeat after me: I will never listen to that cra-"

"Zidane!"

He looked up at the raven haired girl opposite him, "Sorry," and then back down to Midnight, "I will never listen to that depressing rubbish that all girls seem to love, you got that kid?"

Midnight giggled, "I like it!" she said enthusiastically.

"Oh no, Middy!" Zidane groaned, "I blame this all on you, you know," he told Dagger, "She looks up to you. You're a bad influence."

"It's Jess' music not mine, I've never really been that interested." She replied nonchalantly as she leaned across the table for another piece of toast.

"Oh, well-"

"Middy, you're coming with us." Mrs Ryan called down the table as she and her husband stood up, "We'll see you kids later, have fun."

"And don't get lost." Mr Ryan added as they left the restaurant and then the inn altogether, ignoring Midnight complaints about how she wanted to stay with Zidane.

The four teenagers glanced at each other blankly for several minutes until Alex leaned across to grab a piece of toast, "Well, now what?"

Zidane shrugged in reply, "Dunno," he murmured as he watched Dagger picking the burnt pieces of bread off of her toast.

"Well, how bout we go get ourselves lost since they told us not to?" Jess replied with a joking smile.

Zidane sighed and pulled himself up, out of his chair, "Well come on, we can't hang around here all day. Me and Dagger have things to be doing, you know."

Jess jumped up immediately, Dagger and Alex followed more slowly, "Oh such as?" she asked mischievously.

Zidane glared at her as together they led the way out of the inn and into the heart of Black Mage village.

* * *

The stars were shining brightly overhead. Zidane could just about see them through the branches and leaves of the trees. He wished he could find an open space of ground so he could see them properly.

The village was dark about them; the houses and restaurants were lit with candles. Only the inns that were widely spaced out were lit with lamps.

He sighed as he listened to their footsteps upon the wooden walkways as they passed the small buildings.

"Do you think Jess and Alex managed to find their way back?" Dagger asked him softly, aware of the silence around them. The four teenagers had spent the day wandering through the town amongst the strange shops until they split up in the late afternoon.

"Dunno," he replied, "Hope not. We'd never live it down if we don't make it back at a reasonable time after them if they have. They'll think we got lost."

Dagger laughed, "Haven't we?"

"Nope," he shook his head vigorously, he turned his head glancing at the buildings, "We're right by a house named Rose gardens and an inn called – Hey! That inn's name…"

Dagger turned her head to glance through the darkness to the brightly lit sign. "Tantalus…?"

"What time is it?" Zidane asked hurriedly, tugging at her sleeve and trying to read the clock face upside down.

"It's ten to nine." She pulled her arm out of his reach and shook it to settle her sleeve back into place.

"Come on!" he gripped her hand and tugged her eagerly towards the door.

* * *

"This inn was founded years and years ago, back near the end of the reign of the good queen Garnet. A band of actors called Tantalus built it, well they called themselves actors but they sounded more like thieves to me. I have a journal, you see, handed down for generations through my family. It was written by Cinna something or other." The man motioned to the walls on which an enormous amount of hammers were hung on pegs, "He mentioned hammers quite a lot, thought I'd decorate the place with hammers in honour of his memory."

"Thieves?" Zidane glanced over at Dagger stunned. "Tantalus were thieves?"

Dagger shook her head to clear it, "Er sir? Where is this journal of yours? Do you have it here?"

The man's eyes narrowed suspiciously, "As a matter of fact I do. What is it to you?"

She glanced over to Zidane who was still looking pretty shocked and then back over to him. "We're doing a school project to do with the time that you said it was from. I was wondering if you would let us read it, we'd stay in your dining room or sit here in the lobby right in front of you?"

The man looked unsure, "You wont be able to read it all, its not enormously long but…I'm afraid I have to lock the doors soon, you see. The writing is near illegible in places, the paper is breaking and some of the terms are no longer in use…" he trailed off.

"Please, just a look?" Dagger implored, "We'll be careful. I would like just a quick glance at it. Then if you think we aren't going to damage it perhaps we can come back tomorrow and read it – under your eye of course."

The man stared at her, before hurriedly saying, "Yes, yes, of course! I'll just go fetch it, wont be a moment." He almost ran out the room in his haste to retrieve it and get back to keep an eye on them.

"Tantalus! Did you hear?…thieves." He breathed, "Strange place for them to set up home though, don't you think? I would have put money on Treno."

Zidane turned to look at her a strange look on his face, "You managed to persuade him pretty quickly. Always knew a pretty face could get you anywhere."

"What?" Dagger laughed slightly, "I think he saw the possibility of new customers tomorrow. If he went along with my suggestion we'll be in his dining room all day, eating his food."

"You saw that coming," he accused her, "You knew he was going to agree…You're good." He glanced to the door the man had disappeared out of, "If this tells us…gives us any information…" he looked back to her, a smile on his face, "it'll be all down to you, Dagger."

Flustered she hurried to argue back, "No it wont. And besides it might tell us about this Tantalus and not much else or it might just be the mad ramblings of a – of a-"

"Mad man," Zidane supplied with a grin just as the Innkeeper hurried back into the lobby.

"Here, be careful!" he told them handing over the leather bound sheaves of paper.

Dagger took it slowly before taking a seat not far from the desk. Zidane hurried to take a seat on the arm, peering over her shoulder.

Her eyes caught on words and lines throughout the pages as she carefully flicked through them. She caught sight of the word Tantalus numerous times and the use of the word brother meaning the other members of the band. There was a mention of a Rosie or Ruby it was hard to tell which. Then she saw it…Zidane.

"Hey!" she elbowed Zidane in the side and failed to see his glare at her. He was already paying all the attention he could so why elbow him, he wondered.

"Listen," she pointed her finger at the line and trailed it along as she read, " "Zidane's been kicked out by the boss, says he's going after the princess and nothin's stopping him. I know he likes pretty faces and all but seriously…ditching his bros for her, a girl with blue blood. He's a thief, what in the hell does he think will happen. Anyway, Blank's gone to see him, he'll knock sense into that idiot's head alright!"" Dagger looked over at Zidane and glanced back at the book, " Doesn't seem to mention him again, not on this page at least." She went to turn the page when a cough from the innkeeper stopped her.

"I'll be having that back now." He took the book and carefully placed it below the desk, "I'll be seeing you two tomorrow?"

"You bet!" Zidane took Daggers hand and pulled her out the door barely allowing her to wave goodbye. "I don't believe him, he knew we had found what we are looking for-"

"-and stopped us from getting it so we would come back tomorrow. I know." She looked up at him; it was so dark out that she could barely see him. A quick glance at the sky told her there was a new moon tonight.

"Come on," she gripped his hand and dragged him off down the street, "We'd best get back."

"I don't know if I can sleep though, I'm on too much of a high." Zidane was almost bouncing down the street.

"I'll buy you a hot chocolate or tea," she laughed.

"I'll hold you to that but I really don't think you've fallen in yet. You know what we just heard right?" he asked as they took a right and then a left further down the street into the village's centre. Perhaps they weren't so lost after all. "Zidane was a thief!"

Dagger looked up at him in shock, "I…You're right! Oh my god…" she said faintly.

He laughed and pulled her towards the inn they were staying in as it came into sight, "I know. You're a smart girl Dagger, what took you so long?"

She didn't answer just followed him in to the inn lost in thought. She broke out of her thoughts as she felt someone grip hold of her arms.

"Hey, you all right. You almost walked into me there." He frowned down at her, "Anyway, its half eleven. I expect everyone will be in bed by now, but I'm holding you to that tea so…" he nodded his head towards the stairs.

She smiled, "Come on then," and led him up into the twilight bar at the top of the inn. It was a dark room, the floors and walls being painted a deep blue, and its furniture was silver and very modern in design. Blue lights lighted the bar. One of the walls was made out of two large windows; a door separated them, that over looked a large balcony. The room was pretty empty, but a few people dotted the room. There was an elderly couple in one corner, a young mother and child sitting at the bar and a few adults of all ages clustered around the room.

Zidane glanced out of the "wall" as Dagger approached the bar. This part of the inn was taller than the trees, giving them a clear view of the sky.

He jumped up from his seat as she approached with the two mugs in her hand. He took his and gently pulled her out onto the balcony.

"Zidane! It's freezing." Dagger gasped as the cold hit her.

"That's what hot chocolate is for," he murmured as he approached a set of chairs around a small round table. "I love the night and I'm not sitting out here on my own."

Dagger complied and took a seat opposite him, placing her mug onto the table and rubbing her hands up her arms trying to keep warm.

"It really is great, don't you think?" she asked, head tilted back as she looked up at the stars.

Zidane glanced down at her, "Yeah," he replied faintly.

She glanced over at him a slightly puzzled look on her face, "What?" she asked as he continued to stare at her.

He leant down, pressing his lips to hers in a soft kiss. Even though he had his eyes closed he was aware that hers had shot wide open. It was short and, to the very experienced teenager, barely a kiss at all. He pulled back to see her surprised expression, he found he was rather taken aback by his actions too.

"Zidane…?" she asked faintly, her hand twitching as she resisted the urge to bring it up to her lips.

"Er…" he searched his mind for the words, "I, er…I've wanted to do that for sometime though I think I probably shouldn't have now. Forgive me?"

Dagger stared at him as she mumbled, "Forgive…you…" as though she couldn't comprehend what the words meant.

"Come on," he tugged on her hand pulling her back to the door and inside, "It's late, I don't know how late, but late."

Daggers spare hand dropped from where it was touching her lip, "It's half twelve. Jess is going to kill me."

When they reached their rooms, Zidane turned to her whispering so that his parents in the room four doors down wouldn't hear, "Good night. Just come and wake me up tomorrow I doubt I'll get up without help."

She nodded dumbly, "Yeah, night."

He gave her a small smile and turned towards his door.

"Zidane!" her voice raised to such a volume that they both froze to listen for movement in the near by rooms. After a while he sighed and turned to her.

"I-I…you're such an idiot,"

"Thanks," he replied dryly and when she wasn't forthcoming with a reason why he was an idiot he murmured, "Well, night then," before leaning down to kiss her on the cheek as usual, he however did not count on her turning her head…

* * *

Too rushed...? 


	28. Aftermath

helloooooooo! Miss me! haha so to cut a loooong story short the reason why I never updated is because my email account linked to this account was hacked into and frozen by their admin, I couldn't remember the password for my fanfiction account and therefore was stuck. I toyed with the idea of making a new account and reposting but I rather like seeing the 44000 hits on my traffic stats :(. So anyway, I know that I've probably lost all the fans of this story that I had back when I left it 2/3 years ago? or perhaps more, think it was 09 or 08 that I last updated but you'll be able to see that! (Edit: oh I just checked it was 9/1/07 :S oh dear)

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** Due to this story being written when I was still at school (o.O) I will be doing a re-write more than updating this one. This will probably be the last chapter I do to update this story (written before I lost my password). I plan to make this a much better story now that I have years more experience in writing. I hope some of the people who loved this story and always reviewed are still around to see the end. Thanks and my apologies :)

* * *

"_I-I…you're such an idiot,"_

"_Thanks," he replied dryly and when she wasn't forthcoming with a reason why he was an idiot he murmured, "Well, night then," before leaning down to kiss her on the cheek as usual, he however did not count on her turning her head…_

**The Journal**

…Dagger broke the kiss and stepped back, "Yeah, night then," she murmured before opening her door and disappearing inside.

_Zidane watched her go, bewildered, before slowly turning to open his own door only to find it, not only already open but also with Alex leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed and smirk on his face._

_Zidane sighed, one hand reaching up to scratch his head._

Zidane smiled. It had been running around his head like a song on repeat, he was never going to get to sleep at this rate but he couldn't bring himself to care. The clock nearby flashed 4:30 at him, he'd been in bed for a good two and a half hours and hadn't even come close to dozing off.

Alex snores were drifting across the room; he'd been asleep before his head could touch the pillow after they had both decided that, at two in the morning, they had better leave further discussion until the morning.

He rolled over with a sigh and the next thing he knew he was being hit over the head with something soft. He opened his eyes slowly to see Alex grinning with a pillow in hand.

"Come on, up! We're going to the girls room."

"No we're not." Zidane said flatly.

"Yes we are! _I _promised to wake up Jess so we could have breakfast and not brunch and _you_ have talking to do with a certain project partner."

"I'm sure it could have waited until I was awake, you know."

"It's only 9 not the break of dawn." Alex retorted as he opened the door forcefully and disappeared into the hallway.

Zidane groaned and threw his duvet over his head, burrowing deep into its folds. A moment later he heard Alex's voice again, "He's over there, the big lump in that bed."

Zidane sighed softly; he was probably going to set Midnight on him, that's what his mother always did.

"Zidane?"

Nope, that wasn't Midnight. He reached up and threw the cover off of his head and glanced warily across the room. "Yeah?"

"Alex said to get you up for breakfast," Dagger began, he groaned softly, "and it would be a good idea, you know, to get a head start on that journal."

He stared at her, comprehension dawning on him slowly. With all the drama afterwards, all of which was directly related to him and not some long dead king, he'd forgotten all about the musty old journal that was barely still in existence.

"Right," he replied, a sudden energy filling him, and bounded from his bed and over to the corner of the room where his clothes were spilling out of a half opened suitcase.

He tugged a t-shirt on over his head paying no heed to Dagger who had carefully averted her eyes away from him. It was only when he picked up a pair of jeans that he stopped, "Erm…"

"Oh, I will – er," she hastily turned her back on him, facing the door.

"Thanks," he replied somewhat sheepishly.

Breakfast was a quick affair, for Dagger and Zidane at least. They were so filled with excited energy over the diary that they had eaten their breakfast – that was an equivalent size to Jess and Alex's – and left before their friends were half way through.

"Do you think this is it?" Zidane asked, watching the wooden planks beneath his feet.

"I'm not sure," she sighed, "I mean he mentions him, true, but someone who is not him cannot possibly know the whole story, you know."

"Yeah," he opened the door of the inn for her, "yeah…"

The innkeeper looked up at them, a delighted expression on his face. "Come in, come in. I've reserved a table in the dining hall for you, perfect for reading."

He led them through into a fairly large room that was painted a slightly nauseating mustard yellow and over to a table in the corner.

" `Boss brought another kid into the gang today. He must only be 13 years old, says his name is Zidane. Boss says he found him down at the harbour looking for something. Boss wont tell me what but will give me another clout to the head if I ask again. None of my business or anyone else's but his." Dagger read out, "So Zidane was 13 on…" she flipped back a few pages to the beginning of the entry, "9th February 1680."

"Uh huh," Zidane murmured as he scribbled the date down. Before Dagger could continue reading he had pulled his bag up onto his lap and was rummaging through it. He eventually brought out a photograph. It was one of the ones that were taken of the portraits.

"1685" he frowned, "so that would make him 18…and he already knows her…"

"Well…" Dagger frowned too, "that's something. We knew the Legend was wrong somewhere. We now have something to present if we fail to find anything else."

"Hmmm," he agreed distractedly, he shook his head, "carry on, I want to know how old he was when he did meet her!"

"Ok, this might not tell us though," she flipped through the pages back to the beginning of the next entry.

Zidane's name was often mentioned, as were all the Tantalus members, but for nothing more than everyday activities or amusing events. They were worryingly nearing the end of the journal and the day too considering the rapidly fading light outside.

Zidane reached up to turn on the light just as Dagger said suddenly, "Here! 1683. `Boss says he has orders from regent Cid to kidnap the princess Garnet from Alexandria. We're to perform a play for the queen to both, get us into the grounds and then distract her. He's given the special job to Blank and Zidane whilst the rest of us have to bust our backs acting so that they can go unnoticed."

"16," Zidane said once she had finished, "he was 16."

"…he was sent to kidnap her?" Dagger frowned, "How did they end up married? Surely she wouldn't fall for someone who kidnapped her?"

Zidane shrugged, "It happens." He leant across the table, "Anything else? Come on, come on."

"Ok, ok." Dagger turned the page and frowned, "what with the whole kidnap going completely wrong all because the princess wanted to be kidnapped. The queen would never have found out our way, if everything went to plan. The ship went down, burnt to a crisp in the middle of the evil forest of all places…urgh…awful place. Sends shivers down my spine. Not too many casualties, the bloody tin man survived unfortunately. We lost the princess briefly… Zidane's been kicked out by the boss, says he's going after the princess and nothin's stopping him. I know he likes pretty faces and all but seriously…ditching his bros for her, a girl with blue blood. He's a thief, what in the hell does he think will happen. Anyway, Blank's gone to see him, he'll knock sense into that idiot's head alright! Don't think boss will be having him back this time, I really don't. A lots happened since then, Zidane escaped the forest after saving the princess and went his own way, us lot-` that's all there is about him."

"Ahem!" they turned to see the inn keeper, "It's dinner time, would you like to order anything or return tomorrow to continue reading, I'm afraid I'd need the table if you don't. Dinner is my busiest time."

"Food! Food sounds good!" Zidane said hurriedly.

"Zidane!" Dagger hissed worriedly, "this place isn't that cheap."

"Don't worry, my treat."

"I'll get your menus." The Innkeeper said before hurrying off.

Zidane yawned and stretched his arms above his head. "My back is killing me." He groaned.

"Yeah," Dagger murmured still flipping through the pages, "mine to, my eyes are tired, the lines are blurring together."

He dropped his arms down, "Want me to read it for a bit?"

"Please," she sighed pushing the book across the table.

"Menus!" the portly innkeeper placed the menus onto the table jovially, bowing his head as he did so and revealing his balding patch.

"Thanks." Zidane replied, picking one up warily. He hoped the food was decent stuff not unpronounceable Conde peti mush and delicacies. It was close to the Black Mage Village after all. "Oh good, it's actually food!"

Dagger glanced across at his grin puzzled, "What else would it be?"


End file.
